In Part I and Part II of this series Jeff Franco began his transformation from flab to fab. We’ve watched as Jeff went from a lazy, junk food eating couch potato into an active, fit, and inspirational person.
Let’s check in to see how he’s been doing.
Yes, there are pictures. Don’t get impatient.
Month 7 – Ramping it Up
Having increased Jeff’s intake in months 5 and 6 to slow fat loss for his movie shoot, we decided it was time to bring Jeff back to his original plan to get progress back up to speed.
We also decided that since Jeff had been exceptionally consistent with his plan so far he would be able to manage a 5 day per week commitment to the gym. Jeff was in agreement so we ramped up his intensity and he hit every single workout like a champ.
We should note that this is one thing that separates Jeff from the masses. While most people make excuses why they can’t find time to do something, Jeff is busy doing it. He doesn’t make excuses. He just does everything we ask of him and is rewarded with exceptional results.
Month 8 – Metabolism Chases Intake
Before we go forward it is important to understand a very simple biological principle. When you eat less, your metabolism slows down. When you eat more, your metabolism speeds up. This is why people who follow very low calorie diets inevitably gain all the weight back with lightening speed when they slip off the plan.
In Jeff’s case, we’d been feeding him so much in the months when he was filming that his metabolism skyrocketed. When we reduced his food back down to his previous intake the fat loss was incredible!
That said, we were a little worried that Jeff might start to lose some valuable muscle if he continued to lose at this rate so we added a nice carb filled breakfast to his day. This served to keep Jeff’s metabolism raging like an inferno while preserving the muscle that he was working so hard to keep.
Since everything we did with Jeff’s training in month 7 seemed to be working so well we didn’t make too much of an adjustment this month.
Month 9 – Fighting Adaptation
Nutritionally we didn’t make any changes for Jeff this month as things appeared to be on track as Jeff was slowly losing fat and hanging on to all of his hard earned muscle.
As great as this sounds, it is important to keep in mind that the body, as wonderful as it is, likes to adapt to things. This means that what works one month might suddenly stop working. To keep things fresh we asked Jeff if he’d be willing to switch up his cardio routine to something a little unorthodox. As usual, Jeff was game.
Instead of the usual low intensity cardio after his workouts we had Jeff find a local track for his first experience with Sprint training. Here are Jeff’s instructions straight from the email:
Find a track and lightly jog one lap to warm up and prevent injury.
- Pick a straightaway and sprint the entire thing (~100 meters).
- Walk the rest of the way around the track.
- When you hit the same straightaway sprint again.
- Repeat for a total of 5 sprints.
- Make sure to complete the walk around the track after the final sprint.
And that’s it for cardio. Five short sprints and he was done.
Unconventional?
Yes.
Effective?
Definitely!
Here are Jeff’s latest results
Starting Weight: 198
Current Weight: 148
TOTAL LOST: 50 pounds!
Starting Waist Measurement: 42.75
Current Waist Measurement: 33.5
TOTAL LOST: 9.25 inches!
What’s Coming Up?
This month Jeff “the mutant” Franco is on a mission to bring up his chest with a second workout day devoted specifically to this task.
Next month we’ll be hard at work on the abs with a special diet that we affectionately call The Crazy Diet because of its complexity. This diet plan is not for the weak and we only offer it to those who have shown exceptional dedication because they’re the only ones tough enough to make it through the plan.
Keep your eyes peeled for the next installment.
Want to achieve the same results as Jeff? Check out our Exercise & Nutrition Consulting Program. It’s not nearly as expensive as you might think.
August 28th, 2007
Having been in this industry for 7 years now I like to think I’ve picked up a few tidbits of knowledge along the way. Here are a couple random points that I thought I’d share.
1. The more television you watch the worse your physique will be.
Most people who come to us for weight loss report watching an average of 2-3 hours of TV per night. Imagine how much food prep and exercise could get done especially if you’re one of those people who “don’t have any time”.
2. The difference between the person you are now and the person you will be in five years is the books you’ve read and the people you’ve met.
Read books that feed your mind, not waste it.
3. Along the same vein, you are most likely to be like the 5 people you spend the most time with.
Your friends’ attitudes can either lift you up or pull you down. Are your 5 people going the places you want to go? If not, maybe you should find yourself some new friends. Better yet, surround yourself with people who are already where you want to be and learn from their mistakes and successes.
4. Common sense is not so common.
This quote is attributed to Voltaire back in 1764. I’ve found it to still be true.
5. People will often change their beliefs to be in line with their appearance instead of changing their appearance to be in line with their beliefs.
When our actions are out of line with our beliefs our brain feels an extreme sense of discomfort (technically called cognitive dissonance). When we feel this tension we must either change our actions or, when changing the action itself is perceived to be difficult, change our belief instead.
An example of this is a woman who starts out being unhappy with being overweight because it is out of line with how she would really like to look. Over time she concludes that she is actually “happy with her weight” since it is actually easier to change her belief system than it is to make the necessary lifestyle changes to lose weight.
I believe that this is probably how many fat acceptance groups like the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance were created.
6. Women need to weight train.
“The myth that women should not lift heavy is advanced only by women who fear effort and men who fear women”.
Weight training will NOT cause woman to bulk up. On the contrary, it will help them lose fat and create a lean and toned body. It also improves physical strength, energy, and confidence. From a health standpoint it even helps to increases bone density.
7. Flossing your teeth regularly drastically reduces your risk of cardiovascular problems.
That’s right. Not flossing your teeth has been identified as a risk factor for cardiovascular problems. It’s such an easy thing.
8. Wear your seatbelt.
If you aren’t going to wear a seatbelt don’t bother me with a debate about whether or not artificial sweeteners are healthy.
9. Eat breakfast.
Almost every overweight person I’ve ever met doesn’t eat breakfast. Studies have shown that those who eat breakfast tend to have a lower bodyweight than those who don’t eat breakfast. Research also demonstrates that people who eat breakfast tend to snack less later in the day.
10. Eating eggs does NOT increase cholesterol.
While millions of doctors probably won’t agree with me, there is plenty of evidence to demonstrate that dietary cholesterol (i.e., that you’d get from consuming eggs) does not typically affect the cholesterol measured in your blood.
Don’t believe me? Here are a few studies for some light reading if you’re up for a stroll to your local university library.
Egg Consumption and Coronary Heart Disease: An Epidemiologic Overview. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 19, No. 5, 549S–555S (2000)
A Review of Scientific Research and Recommendations Regarding Eggs. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 23, No. 6, 596S–600S (2004)
Dietary cholesterol provided by eggs and plasma lipoproteins in healthy populations. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 9:8–12.
The Impact of Egg Limitations on Coronary Heart Disease Risk: Do the Numbers Add Up? Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 19, No. 5, 540S–548S (2000)
In case you want the readers digest version here’s what some of the studies said:
“Dietary cholesterol has little effect on the LDL:HDL cholesterol ratio.”
“Daily egg consumption is not associated with increased risk of coronary events after adjusting for other aspects of the diet that may predispose towards coronary disease.”
“Data from free-living populations, as well as the whole epidemiologic literature, does not show that egg consumption is a risk factor for coronary disease.”
11. Fiber helps fight cholesterol more than avoiding eggs.
Fiber clears unhealthy cholesterol from the body. If you know of someone with cholesterol issues tell them to eat a high fiber breakfast cereal such as All Bran or Fiber 1. Don’t bother reaching for the All Bran flakes or All Bran bars either. If it doesn’t have over 10 grams of fiber per serving your cereal is glorified candy.
12. Almost everyone in North America could benefit from the use of fish oils.
Most of the human species evolved close to water which means we ate a lot of fish. The omega 3 fats found in fish are one of the proposed reasons our brains grew to the size they did.
Fish oils can:
- Improve carbohydrate management
- Mobilize fat for burning
- Decrease sweet cravings
- Improve mood (actually used as antidepressants in clinical trials)
- Decrease joint pain
- Reduce LDL (bad cholesterol)
- Increase HDL (good cholesterol)
- Decrease blood pressure
Don’t use fish oil if you have a fish allergy. You probably think it’s funny that I have to actually mention that. See number 4. If you’re taking blood thinning medication like Warfarin, fish oil still may be of benefit to you, but you should speak to your doctor before use.
13. Crunches are the crappiest ab exercise.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there are many exercise better suited to developing a sexy midsection. You can see some of them HERE and more HERE.
14. Bowflex sucks.
15. Free weights are the ONLY tried and true way of building a great body.
Yeah…that’s how they got those bodies.
The stuff you see on late night infomercials is gimmicky garbage. That is, unless they start selling free weights on television.
16. You can’t out-train a bad diet.
Okay…that’s not true. You CAN out-train a bad diet. You’ll just have to have incredible genetics, be a professional athlete, and train for 2 to 3 hours every day. Once you get that down you’ll have no problem.
17. When it comes to exercise and nutrition it is best to focus on the big stuff and not dwell too much on the minutiae.
Whether the vegetables are organic or not is a matter best left until you’ve actually managed to start eating vegetables in the first place. The Pareto Principle states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your actions. I tend to agree. Get the most important 20% down and deal with the other stuff later.
18. Consistency is the key to uncommon results.
I read this somewhere once and it has stuck with me ever since. Thinking of weight loss as a lifetime commitment will always yield better results than any fad diet or exercise routine.
19. Your closest friends will be your worst saboteurs with your diet and exercise routine.
Women are the worst for this. When a woman starts to think her friend looks better than her, she will do everything in her power to sabotage her. Don’t overlook your best friend. She loves you, but she’ll still stuff cookies in your pockets when you’re not looking.
Husbands sometimes fear their wives leaving them for more handsome men when they get into better shape. Sometimes they’ll sabotage her diet or workout efforts by suggesting unhealthy dinners or convincing her to “spend some time” instead of hitting the gym.
Some people also unintentionally throw monkey wrenches in your spokes by inviting you over and having only unhealthy offerings which makes you feel rude if you don’t eat them. Ladies, if this is your best friend, be very wary of their intentions. Guys, if this is your friend…he’s probably just being a dumb guy.
20. You only need three things to be successful in any area of life.
Knowledge – You need to know what to do.
Motivation – You have to want to do it.
Dedication – You have to actually go out and make it happen
You can sit on the internet and read about how to get fit. You can also want to improve your body all you want, but it isn’t going to make one lick of difference if you don’t get off your butt and do something about it.
21. Caffeine doesn’t affect your ability to get to sleep, but it does limit the depth of sleep you get.
Our sleep comes in cycles where we go from level 1 sleep through level 4 sleep and finally into REM sleep where dreaming takes place. Caffeine does not necessarily prevent us from falling asleep, but limits how much time we spend in the deeper stages of sleep. Ever wake up after 8 hours and feel exhausted like you just closed your eyes? Cutting back on the caffeine would be a definite way to feel more rested.
22. Type II Diabetes is one of the single most preventable diseases on the planet.
Despite genetics, diet and lifestyle still play the biggest role in the onset of Type II Diabetes.
Over the past seven years I’ve gained insight into a lot of different things in fitness, business, and life in general. Here I hope to have distilled some of my experiences into a random series of thoughts that might actually convey some of lessons I’ve learned. At the very least, one of these is bound to come up on Jeopardy.
August 15th, 2007
