The Samurai Diet
The Science & Strategy of Winning the Fat Loss War
By Nate Miyaki
Copyright 2011 Nate Miyaki
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Dedication
The Samurai Codes
The Kohai (Student) Codes
A Suggested Reading Strategy
Lesson #1 - Exercise cannot make up for a poor diet
Lesson #2 - The fat loss hierarchy
Lesson #3 - Don't eat like a Y2K American
Lesson #4 - The main problem with the Y2K American Diet
Lesson #5 - The Way of the Caveman
BOOK II -- CUT DOWN YOUR ENEMY
Lesson #6 - Learn the value of elimination diets
Lesson #7 - Cut out concentrated sources of fructose
Lesson #8 - Limit fructose consumption to 5-10g a day
Lesson #9 - Cut out sugar
Lesson #10 - Cut out trans fats/hydrogenated oil
Lesson #11 - Cut out vegetable oils
Lesson #12 - Fish is far superior to flaxseed oil
Lesson #13 - Cut out refined oils in general
Lesson #14 - Cut out gluten
Lesson #15 - Cut out lectins
Lesson #16 - Cut out phytic acid
Lesson #17 - Cut out dairy foods
Lesson #18 - Choose nature's foods over "health" foods
Lesson #19 - Learn the value of self-experimentation
Lesson #20 - Don't try to give up any food you love indefinitely
BOOK III - DIETARY SEPUKKU (SUICIDE)
Lesson #21 - Avoid extreme diets and yo-yo'ing
Lesson #22 - Why we fall for extreme diets
Lesson #23 - The physiological tricks of extreme diets
Lesson #24 - Muscle loss and metabolic decline
Lesson #25 - Alarm states and fat preservation
Lesson #26 - Negative hormonal impacts
Lesson #27 - Negative psychological impacts
Lesson #28 - Plateaus and rebounds
Lesson #29 - Make protein the foundation of your fat loss diet
Lesson #30 - Health benefits of protein-based diets
Lesson #31 - Fat loss benefits of protein-based diets
Lesson #32 - Protein foods have the highest satiation value
Lesson #33 - Protein foods have the highest thermic effect
Lesson #34 - Protein is anabolic and anti-catabolic
Lesson #35 - Make animal foods your primary protein source
Lesson #36 - The problems with grain and vegetable-based protein sources
Lesson #37 - Choose lean proteins over higher fat proteins
Lesson #38 - The research on protein quantity
Lesson #39 - Vegetables and fruits are superior to grains and legumes for fiber
Lesson #40 - Vegetables and fruits are high alkaline foods
Lesson #41 - Eat unlimited non-starchy vegetables, limit fruit to 1-2 servings a day
Lesson #42 - Stick to a select few natural/whole food fats
Lesson #43 - Stick to a select few low fructose/non anti-nutrient containing starches
Lesson #44 - Eat high satiety, nutrient dense foods
Lesson #45 - Match your program with your specific situation and goals
Lesson #46 - Don't get caught up in dogmatic "systems"
Lesson #47 - Use generalizations as a starting point, self-experiment to individualize
Lesson #48 - Sedentary vs. active populations
Lesson #49 - Obese & insulin resistant vs. normal populations
Lesson #50 - Low carb diets for specific populations
Lesson #51 - Treating disease vs. advising athletes
Lesson #52 - Caveman and survival vs. elite performance or physique goals
Lesson #53 - Exercise physiology and sports nutrition
Lesson #54 - Instinctual eating vs. calculated eating
Lesson #55 - Sports nutrition research studies
Lesson #56 - Elite performance goals vs. physique enhancement goals
Lesson #57 - Essential nutrients vs. energy nutrients
Lesson #58 - Too much energy = body fat
Lesson #59 - Know your fat loss options
Lesson #60 - Carbohydrates are anabolic
Lesson #61 - Carbohydrates are anti-catabolic
Lesson #62 - Carbohydrates support normal metabolic and hormonal functioning
Lesson #63 - Carbohydrates can be highly lipogenic
Lesson #64 - Ketosis does not equal fat loss
Lesson #65 - Maintaining a relative calorie deficit is still the most important fat loss step
Lesson #66 - The major problems with ketosis
Lesson #67 - Why people cling to low carbs
Lesson #68 - Dietary fat and passive overconsumption
Lesson #69 - Dietary fat and body fat
Lesson #70 - Fat supports normal hormonal functioning
Lesson #71 - Certain fats have positive health effects
Lesson #72 - Eat animals, not oils
BOOK VII - LEARN FROM THE ANCESTORS
Lesson #73 - Learn from our caveman past
Lesson #74 - Learn from the fitness nutrition present
Lesson #75 - The problem with 100% Paleo for athletes
Lesson #76 - Learn from sports nutrition research
Lesson #77 - Learn from healthy cultural diets
Lesson #78 - Learn from the traditional Japanese Diet
Lesson #79 - The bigger fat loss picture: refined foods vs. natural foods
BOOK VIII - VICTORY IN THE DETAILS
Lesson #80 - The power of portion control
Lesson #81 - Portion precision
Lesson #82 - Food combing practices
Lesson #83 - The fitness nutrition approach to meal frequency
Lesson #84 - The evolutionary/intermittent fasting approach to meal frequency
Lesson #85 - The cultural approach to meal frequency
Lesson #86 - Meal frequency research studies
Lesson #87 - Meal frequency psychology
Lesson #88 - Meal frequency and protein synthesis
Lesson #89 - Samurai Diet meal frequency recommendations
Lesson #90 - Eat a protein-only breakfast
Lesson #91 - A post-workout meal is mandatory
Lesson #92 - Eat a big evening meal
Lesson #93 - Nighttime eating and growth hormone
Lesson #94 - The sustainability of a diet plan
Lesson #95 - Understanding the sacrifice - reward pattern
Lesson #96 - The psychology of cheat meals
Lesson #97 - The problems associated with chronic dieting
Lesson #98 - The benefits of periodic over-feeding/cheating
Lesson #99 - The Samurai Feast guidelines
Lesson #100 - There are no magic pills
Lesson #101 - There are a few good supplements and food compounds
Lesson #102 - Green tea research
Lesson #103 - Caffeine research
Lesson #104 - The synergistic effect of green tea + caffeine
Lesson #105 - Pre-workout fuel: branched chain amino acids (BCAA's)
Lesson #106 - The health and body composition benefits of fish oil
Lesson #107 - The physiological reasons we store fat
Lesson #108 - Cut out high sugar, high refined fat condiments
Lesson #109 - Hormones and pesticides in modern foods
Lesson #110 - Cut out artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and chemicals
Lesson #111 - Too many stimulants = chronically elevated cortisol
Lesson #112 - Moderate alcohol to maximize fat loss
BOOK XII - THE SAMURAI DIET APPENDICES
Appendix I - Samurai Diet Guideposts
Appendix II - Food Charts
Appendix III - Acid-Alkaline Values
Appendix IV - Dietary Fat Analyses of Animal Protein Foods
Appendix V - Sample Paleo/Low-Carb Diet
Appendix VI - Sample Japanese-style Diet
Appendix VII - Samurai Diet Calculations and Examples
Appendix VIII - Samurai Diet Meal Breakdowns -- Baseline Diet (Non-Training Days)
Appendix IX - Post Workout Meal/Training Day Adjustments
Appendix X - Food Database Link
Self Help and Self-Experimentation
Determination and Courage
Power Through the Transition Phase
Use Momentum
Make it Automatic
I. DEDICATION
I don't know what is the meaning of death, but I am not afraid to die -- and I go on, non-stop, going forward. Even though I, Bruce Lee, may die some day without fulfilling all of my ambitions, I will have no regrets. I did what I wanted to do and what I've done, I've done with sincerity and to the best of my ability. You can't expect much more from life. -- Bruce Lee.
I love natural bodybuilding, fitness, body composition enhancement, physique development, the never-ending war against body fat, or whatever else you want to call it. It has been a consistent part of my life and identity since my brother Shawn first introduced me to the gym in my teens. Thanks bro. In the eyes of this lifelong student, you will always be the True Master.
Committing to the lifestyle of an athlete has provided me with a solid foundation in this chaos called life, and my journey in particular, which, of course, has been full of ups and downs, successes and failures, achievements and disappointments. I have always been able to find comfort, peace, escape, value, and a sense of purpose in the gym (and in the fitness lifestyle as a whole), even when I was in my darkest stages, and hopelessly lost in the real world.
That may potentially sound cheesy or pathetic to a normal person, but it makes no difference to me. I will never be ashamed to admit the true nature of who I am as a person.
Obviously, I am passionate about the fat loss and physique development game. I feel lucky that I have found such a passion. We all need an outlet we can turn to when life is not going our way. We all need a reason to get out of bed in the morning. We all need something to look forward to.
Since you picked up this book, then chances are you may have some interest in this game as well.
We all come from a variety of backgrounds: ethnically, culturally, financially, professionally, spiritually, and athletically. But there is one idea we can all agree upon, and it unifies us all as brothers and sisters down this path we have chosen.
We want to find a way to win the fat loss war. We want to use every tool at our disposal to obliterate body fat, build lean muscle mass, and sculpt a body that even the Greek gods would envy.
This is my first book and it is dedicated to you -- the fat loss warrior. I stand by your side in battle.
II. THE SAMURAI CODES
In other words, simply let your career and daily activities be harmonious expressions of who you truly are. -- Warrior Within (John Little on Bruce Lee).
You can skip this section if you want, especially if you are just looking to pull out the practical strategies from this book, because I ramble a little bit. I did not edit down to the barebones practical information. I am giving insight into the creation of the content.
You have been forewarned.
Since this is my first book, however, I wanted to be sincere and authentic. This book will stand as the major representation of my fitness business, my nutritional philosophies, and my personal approach to fat loss and physique enhancement. In essence, it is a representation of me -- my life and my work.
I wanted to take the time to let you know who I am and where I'm coming from.
There is a lot of B.S. in the fitness industry. I want to take the time to explain my passion for this game, why I'm not just another "guru" trying to make a quick buck off of people's fat loss desires, why I think you and I are brothers or sisters in this game, and why I truly want to help you succeed with your goals.
If we are to be fighting this fat loss war, you should know who you are standing side-by-side with, who is watching your back on the battlefield. The physique enhancement game means the world to me, and I can immediately relate to anyone who may share that same interest.
There are these codes, these ways of life, in my culture. It goes way beyond me - into the history of the Samurai Way -- and it is my duty to live by them. I try to make decisions in my life based on these codes. This book, and its content creation and presentation will adhere to that strategy.
CODE #1 -- EFFICIENCY IN ALL THINGS
Even if it will be very difficult to succeed by advancing straight ahead, it will not do to think about going at it in a long roundabout way. One's heart may slacken, he may miss his chance, and by and larger there will be no success. The Way of the Samurai is one of immediacy, and it is best to dash in headlong. --Hagakure
Thank you. I am fortunate to have found a second passion in life -- teaching people about the fat loss and physique enhancement processes. I enjoy educating, sharing what I know, and helping those around me reach their health and fitness goals.
I enjoy doing it most through the written word.
By picking up this book, you have allowed me to continue pursuing that second passion. With no audience there can be no educating. I consider it an honor that you have chosen me as a resource. I will do my best to not let you down.
Why the preference for the written word? EFFICIENCY
As a coach, with the spoken word, it is hard to be at your absolute best each time around. You don't always have the right words, can't always phrase it correctly, or can't always express yourself in the right way for the student to understand the lesson. With the spoken word, you get the best that I can come up with at that moment in time.
In the written word, you can take all the time necessary to express yourself in the exact way you intended. With writing, editing, analyzing content, re-thinking, re-working, re-writing -- all multiple times -- you get the best that I have to offer, EVER. I believe this maximizes coaching efficiency.
For learning efficiency, I believe people digest and absorb better through the written format as well. A student can learn at their own pace, referring back to a lesson as many times as it takes for the light bulb to go off, and finally attaining a true understanding of the big picture.
In addition, the written word allows the student to absorb and apply when the time is just right. The student will simply refer to the lesson when they are open to hearing or learning new information.
The spoken word is frequently lost in the chaos of life. The written word is frozen in time. It provides an indefinite resource that the fat loss warrior can call upon and use as a weapon whenever appropriate. It allows him/her to strike when the time is just right.
The final reason is emotional efficiency.
I'm a softy. I like people and I don't like to see them disappointed or stressed or offended. It is unpleasant for me to shatter myths that have been engrained in people's heads, or to tell them they've been duped by authorities that are supposed to be helping them. I hate seeing the expression people make when they get that sinking feeling in their gut as someone tells them that everything they thought they knew was inaccurate.
In addition, if a person is fixed in their ways, arguing is wasted effort.
As a result, often times I back off when I should be pressing forwards. I don't always go all the way in the educational process, because sometimes I deem that a person is not ready to hear the entire truth, or they would not be able to handle it just quite yet.
With the written word, I can give you a little more of the tough love that is necessary to induce change and produce results. It is because I don't have to crumble, cave, or concede when I see a sad look on someone's face. I can tell you exactly what you NEED to hear, not what you WANT to hear.
I can present the absolute ideal scenario. Then, I can let people work backwards from there -- find their own personal level of comfort, determine what they will and won't commit to, and make their own compromises based on where they are currently at in their fat loss journey.
CODE #2 -- A PROPER INTRODUCTION
Katsumoto: Not to introduce yourself is considered extremely rude, even among enemies. -- The Last Samurai
Perhaps our paths have crossed before. Maybe you are a family member or friend who have been waiting for the book I have been promising you. Maybe you are a private client that I have helped and you are looking for a resource of credible information that you can pass along to your family and friends.
Maybe you know me from the athletic side of my life -- my current one as a natural bodybuilding and fitness competitor, or my previous life as a professional wrestler/stunt performer. You are looking for some insight into how I go about getting into photo shoot-ready condition.
Maybe you know me from my career as a writer -- my column on T-Nation, competitor's blog with Musclemania, or through my personal website I maintain with my wife -- also a fitness competitor and model. You've been exposed to snippets of our fat loss approach through various articles and posts, but want the entire program down in one place.
If our paths have crossed before, it is good to be sharing something with you again. It is always fun to connect with family and friends, and I'm happy to share with you the knowledge I've obtained. Honestly, one of the most rewarding things in my life is to know I've played a part in helping those closest around me improve their lives and succeed with their goals.
If we don't know each other yet, than I think a proper introduction is the right way to proceed before we get into any nutrition advice or dietary strategy. You should want to know whom you are taking advice from before you implement it. Blindly following advice is a fool's mistake.
If we were to meet in person, the first thing I would do is shake your hand, bow, hug, bro-hug, or do whatever it is people do in my or your culture to show you a sign of respect. Beyond credentials or intelligence or practical experience, I think that respecting your audience is the most important component of being a good educational writer.
CODE #3 -- DUTY
But if he determines simply to live for today and take no thought for the morrow, so that when he stands before his lord to receive his commands he thinks of it as his last appearance and when he looks on the faces of his relatives he feels that he will never see them again, then will his duty and regard for both of them be completely sincere…All misfortune springs from not remembering to keep death always in your thoughts. -- Code of the Samurai
I respect both your intelligence and your sincere desire to achieve your fat loss goals.
You will not get any B.S., marketing fluff, or efforts to sell you a quick fix system or product from me. You're going to get authenticity. You're going to get what I honestly believe is the most efficient route to maximizing fat loss and physique development. I'm sharing this with you for two reasons:
1. I consider myself a lifelong student.
I was once a young kid passionate about the physique development game, desperately yearning for proper instruction and guidance. On more than one occasion, however, I was led astray by insincere information, bogus systems, and poorly-designed products. I wasn't at the level of knowledge and experience that I am now. I was desperate for results, willing to believe anything, and was susceptible to deception, false claims, and quick fix scams. If you promised me you could get me to where I wanted to go, I would pay you anything (even though I couldn't really afford it).
That's how a large perecentage of the fat loss industry works. Money goes out the door with very little in return. The pain of those disappointments remains fresh in my mind.
Now that I have worked hard and put myself in a position to help people, how could I, in good conscience, turn around and do the same thing to people who are looking to me for answers? The answer is, I can't.
As a lifelong student, I am always seeking out new information and new teachers to learn from. In other words, I am a consumer as well. I expect the coaches and authors I follow will treat me and their other students with respect. Why would I give you anything less?
2. This is my passion.
I know how important fat loss and physique development can become in someone's life. I know how it can reach top priority status, how much of an obsession it can become, and how good it feels when that goal becomes a reality. Unfortunately, I also know how disappointing it feels when content, programs, or products don’t keep the clients’ best interests in mind, and fail to deliver.
I believe you should follow passion just as much, if not more so, than credentials. You should follow authors and coaches whose educational efforts are tied to something they are personally passionate about.
A teacher who is passionate about a topic will empathize with your desire and efforts. They can't lead you astray because they love the game too much. They will be authentic, and happily share with you everything they know. They want to see you succeed, because they know how rewarding it is to succeed with their own efforts.
If someone is just in it for the money, they will give you the bare minimum it takes to get your money.
No one is more passionate about physique development than I am. It is not only my hobby. It is my sport, my career, and my life. It is an obsession.
Do you have to become that obsessed to obtain your personal fat loss goals? Absolutely not, but you can benefit from my obsession by learning from me.
CODE #4 - LOYALTY
Sakuan later confided to someone, "I gave the master that one packet of medicine and resolved that, as I was undertaking this treatment alone, if he did not recover I would quickly cut open my stomach and die with him." -- Hagakure.
At the core of the Samurai Philosophy lies loyalty. Samurai warriors exhibited extreme loyalty, at a moments notice lying down their own lives to protect and serve their master.
Since you bought this book, my duty is to serve and stay loyal to you, not some entity like a company, a "system", or society in general. In essence, you are my master, and my sole purpose is to help you reach your fat loss goals -- nothing more, nothing less.
This is my duty as a coach.
Serving YOU is likely to upset many other groups and people in this book. I don't believe that rigidly following a single system or a "one-size-fits-all" approach is the most efficient way for you to reach your goals.
As a result, the following are possibilities:
Likely to upset "traditional and sports nutritionists" by saying high carb diets are not for everyone, and that for certain demographics low carb diets may be the most efficient approach.
Likely to upset "low-carbers" by saying carbs can be a valuable commodity for many anaerobic athletes, and that many physique athletes are inhibiting their progress by drastically restricting carbohydrate intake and following the no-carb trend.
Likely to upset "food manufacturers" by saying most modern, refined foods are terrible for health and body composition.
Likely to upset "evolutionary eaters" by saying there are some non-Paleo starch foods that can help modern athletes achieve modern physique development goals. Six-packs, toned legs, and big arms are different goals than surviving in the wild.
Likely to piss "supplement manufacturers" off by saying real food is infinitely more important than supplements, and you don't need every supplement under the sun to achieve fat loss results.
Likely to piss "naturalists" off by saying there are some isolated food compounds and supplements that are heavily researched and anecdotally proven to give athletes an extra push, and assist with the body composition transformation process.
In the end, no "camp" or those who dogmatically follow a specific system are probably going to like me very much. It makes no difference. As long as I stay loyal to you and your fat loss and physique development process, and help you achieve your goals, I will be able to sleep well at night. I am not trying to become the next fitness industry guru.
CODE #5 -- HONOR
Never prostitute your principles in your work. I will never prostitute myself in any way that I do what I don't believe in. -- Bruce Lee.
By adhering to the principles of respect and loyalty, you automatically exhibit honor and integrity.
You have to say what you believe, not what you think is going to gain you approval, propel your career, or give you a perceived advantage. I'd rather help you personally than gain friends or worldwide acclaim or celebrity status.
Here is the truth.
I can't promise you one-of-a-kind, infomercial-like results. I can't promise you that I can solve all of your health and fitness problems, or all of your life's problems in general.
I may be right sometimes. I may be wrong sometimes.
I can only promise you that whatever I write or say in this book is what I believe. It comes from the best of my knowledge and practical experience at the time. It is what I've used to achieve results with my family, my friends, my clients, and myself. It is what I truly believe can help you.
CODE #6 -- RESPECT THE ANCESTORS (PREDECESSORS)
And you should never in your whole life be negligent toward someone from whom you have received a favor. By such things the consideration of others can be seen. In this world the people who will rely on others when they are in difficulties and afterwards not give them a though are many. -- Hagakure.
I have a confession to make. I'm not that smart.
I mean, I've studied at some Universities, can translate scientific research into real world application, combine it with anecdotal evidence and practical experience, and come up with some hypotheses to test in the real world. But trust me, there are some scientists, authors, and coaches out there whose knowledge base would completely blow your mind.
As a result, I have tried to learn from many of the greats in the industry. I've studied various approaches and methods related to the fat loss process -- within the fitness industry, within the health and wellness industry, and outside of both. I've analyzed, applied, refined, and tested in the real world laboratory that is my friends, my clients, and myself, and multiplied that several times over by exchanging war stories with fellow colleagues.
In essence, I have followed Bruce Lee's recommendations for finding an ideal strategy:
The essence of jeet kune do: 1. Research your own experience. 2. Absorb what is useful. 3. Reject what is useless. 4. Add what is specifically your own. -- Bruce Lee.
To claim I have come up with a revolutionary new method all on my own, and not give credit where credit is due, would be despicable. In fact, I have created nothing new. I am just presenting a hybrid approach formulated from various existing methods.
Here are my predecessors that I have learned from/pulled principles from. Throughout the book I will be doing my best to properly cite and quote. My predecessors and influences include:
PALEO/CAVEMAN NUTRITION -- Loren Cordain, Robb Wolf, Jack LaLanne, Kurt G. Harris
SPORTS NUTRITION -- Asker Jeukendrup, John Ivy, John Berardi
BODYBUILDING COACHES/NUTRITIONISTS -- Chris Aceto, Layne Norton, Joe Klemczewski, Scott Abel, Dr. Clay Hyght, John Meadows.
BODYBUILDING ATHLETES & TRAINERS -- Dave Goodin, Chris Faildo, Hugo Rivera, Tom Venuto, Kevin Weiss.
STRENGTH TRAINING INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS -- Alan Aragon, Charles Poliquin, Christian Thibaudeau, Chris Shugart, TC Luoma.
INTERMITTENT FASTING -- Ori Hofmekler, Martin Berkhan
JAPANESE DIET EXPERT -- Naomi Moriyama
MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY -- Manuel Villacorta
If you are interested in any of the individual topics, I highly suggest you read their work. If you do a simple Google search of any of the above names, it will take you right to the appropriate resource.
In addition, there is all of the University lab teams and researchers performing and publishing research. I have had the privilege of learning and pulling from numerous resources. Both paper and web links are listed in the resources section at the back of the book.
I can only hope that eventually, I become one of your many trusted resources.
III. THE KOHAI (STUDENT) CODES
In my duty as a coach, I have vowed to follow the above codes. I humbly ask that you follow three simple codes in return.
CODE #1 -- EMPTY YOUR CUP
It was obvious to the master from the start of the conversation that the professor was not so much interested in learning about Zen as he was in impressing the master with his own opinions and knowledge. As the Zen teacher spoke, the proud man would frequently interrupt him with remarks like "Oh, yes we have that, too" and so on. Finally, the Zen teacher stopped talking and began to serve tea to the learned man. He poured until the cup was full... and then kept pouring until it overflowed. "Enough!" the professor once more interrupted. "The cup is overfull, no more will go in!" "Indeed, I see," answered the Zen teacher. "Like this cup, you are full of your own opinions and speculations. If you do not first empty your cup, how can you taste my cup of tea?" -- John Little (on Bruce Lee)
Perhaps you are a beginner looking for an efficient way. Then your cup is already empty. You will automatically follow this code.
In the era of media, internet, and information overload, however, no one is a complete beginner anymore. We have all been exposed to health and fitness information to some degree. Most of us, at the very least, have a few opinions and pre-conceived notions. We've all been engrained with so-called health and fitness "truths" from a very young age.
If you are an advanced athlete, perhaps you already follow a specific philosophy or approach and have strong, rigid views. I am not asking that you jump ship or completely change your ways. Just give this book a fair chance. You may find that we are not that far off in our philosophies save for a few subtle differences.
Regardless of your level of experience, be open to learning something new. I learn something new every day. You don't have to agree with or apply everything. Don't look at a single lesson that you may disagree with in a vacuum, and dismiss the rest of the lessons or entire book as a whole.
An old professor of mine at UC Berkeley began his class with the most honest, profound statement I have ever heard. Obviously not verbatim, he said something along the lines of this:
There are many things I will say that will not make sense to you, or will not be applicable to your life. You will forget more than you learn in this class, and all of your classes in general. But every once in awhile, either in a lecture or through a discussion, a nugget of gold will come out of my mouth. Something I say will click with you, and you will have learned information that will help you the rest of your life. It might only be one or two nuggets the entire semester, and each of you will have different ones, but hold onto them, they will help you more than you know.
It is my hope that within this book, you find a few nuggets of gold.
CODE #2 - ACTION OVER THOUGHT
Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do…The end of man is action, and not thought, though it be of the noblest. In this world there are a lot of people who cannot touch the heart of the matter but talk merely intellectually (not emotionally) about how they would do this or do that; talk about it, but yet nothing is ever actualized or accomplished. -- Bruce Lee
It would be easy for me to present this book and say, "There, now you know everything you need to know about fat loss", and be done with it. Unfortunately, that would not be enough for you to achieve real world results.
I must emphasize the tough love truth that it is not what you read, think, analyze, plan, calculate, or talk about in this world that gives you results. It is all about what you DO.
These days many people read health and fitness magazines, books, or blogs to pass the time or for "entertainment value". They have no real intent of ever making changes.
If that is the case, let me save you a lot of time and wasted effort -- the Samurai Diet is not for you. It is not for entertainment purposes. There is not a lot of fluff. In fact, at times, it can get highly technical. There is not a lot of "dumbing things down" in an attempt to cater to the lazy.
This book is intended for those who want to put an honest effort into their personal body composition transformation process.
You do not have to apply everything all at once tomorrow, but you should proceed with the intent of making some changes.
CODE #3 -- FAITH IN YOUR ABILITY
What do I live on? My faith in my ability that I'll make it. Faith makes it possible to achieve that which man's mind can conceive and believe. It is a well-known fact that one comes, finally, to believe whatever one repeats to one's self, whether the statement be true or false. -- Bruce Lee.
When man comes to a conscious vital realization of those great spiritual forces within himself and begins to use those forces in science, in business, and in life, his progress in the future will be unparalleled. -- Bruce Lee.
It is spiritless to think that you cannot attain to that which you have seen and heard the masters attain. The masters are men. You are also a man. If you think that you will be inferior in doing something, you will be on that road very soon. -- Hagakure
No matter what it is, there is nothing that cannot be done. If one manifests the determination, he can move heaven and earth as he pleases. -- Hagakure.
ENOUGH SAID!
IV. A SUGGESTED READING STRATEGY
A samurai was essentially a man of action. Science was without the pale of his activity. He took advantage of it in so far as it concerned his profession of arms. Religion and theology were relegated to the priests; he concerned himself with them in so far as they helped to nourish courage. -- Bushido.
THE STRATEGY
A mentor of mine once said that the practical advice people can apply in the real world doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. In fact, the simpler the advice, the more likely it will be followed, and the more likely it will produce the desired result.
When I talk with people about fitness nutrition, most people just ask me to tell them the exact steps they need to take to lose fat and get in shape. They want a simple plan with simple principles that they can remember and implement in their everyday lives.
In essence, they want to know WHAT to do, and don’t necessarily care about WHY they should do it. They want to get a plan, go out to the grocery store, and immediately get started on their body composition transformation process.
When you picked up this book, what was the first thing you looked for? It probably was not a research study. It probably was some specific calorie/macronutrient calculations geared towards you, some food lists, or maybe a sample diet. You wanted to know the specifics of the Samurai Diet, not the theory -- am I right?
The way most nutrition books are structured, however, the practical information readers can use in their every day lives is buried beneath pages and pages of science and theory. Many fitness authors tend to focus on the WHY of fitness nutrition first – why they believe athletes should eat a certain way.
The problem with this approach is that the practical information the reader needs gets lost in the endless pages of scientific theory.
I’ve given nutrition books to clients in the past, and most quit reading before they got to the good stuff — we’re talking the ratios, food choices, and meal plans I wanted them to apply in the real world.
As a result, I have structured this book differently.
The WHAT to do -- the practical information you need to apply to win your fat loss war -- is simple. I can tell you everything you need to DO to slash body fat and achieve your physique enhancement goals in less than ten minutes, or a few pages. Of course implementing that plan in a world full of access and abundance is difficult.
The science -- the WHY -- behind the process, takes a book to explain.
As such, I have pulled out all of the practical information -- food lists, calculations, sample diets, etc. -- and placed it in the Appendix section. Start by reading that section first. It is the practical steps you need to implement. You can start fighting your war against body fat today -- no waiting to read or learn more.
You can then return to the rest of the book, and learn the science behind this approach, when you have the time.
THE SCIENCE
I do believe, however, that you should make the effort to read the rest of the book at some point. Learning the science behind the body composition transformation process is valuable for several reasons:
It helps us make informed decisions. If we know how foods impact our internal physiology and health, we can use that knowledge to make better food choices. If we just rely on taste/impulse, more often than not we will not make good choices. You don’t have to be boring and eat for function all of the time, but you can’t eat for taste all of the time either. You have to find the balance, and science helps balance that equation.
It gives you confidence in your plan. I don’t want you to eat a certain way because I or anyone else tells you to do so. Ultimately, the decision is up to you. If you don’t believe what you are doing will accomplish your goals, your adherence to a program will not last. I can make all of the promises and tout my credentials and experience all I want, but ultimately you are the one calling the shots. With information comes knowledge, and with knowledge comes confidence. Once you know the way foods impact your internal systems, you’ll understand why you should be eating a certain way.
It helps you avoid dietary ADD. Lack of confidence generally results in people jumping from one plan to another. They follow something just until the next hot diet book or issue of their favorite fitness magazine hits the stands, and then drastically change everything. You’ll never get results that way. Sure, you need to make minor changes in your program from time to time, but the core foundation should remain based on proven principles, not the latest and greatest fad. Once you understand how the body works, you’ll be able to separate valuable breaking research from marketing fluff.
It gives you a strong B.S. detector. By the time you finish reading this book, there will be dozens of new gurus, hundreds of new books, and thousands of new articles related to health and fitness. How do you separate the credible information from the BS? In my earlier years, I wasted time following various worthless programs because I didn’t know any better. I fell for the ridiculous claims and false promises all in the hopes of achieving my physique goals. I wanted to attain them so bad I would try anything. It was only as I progressed in my fitness education that I was able to make wiser decisions and stick to a proven plan. If you rely on scientific principles, you’ll never be disappointed with the results.
Many people become emotionally attached to diet plans, systems, principles, or "established truths". Science takes irrational emotion out of the equation and allows us to make more objective, productive decisions.
The Samurai Diet is different. People struggle to accept anything that is different or goes against the status quo or doesn't fit into an existing system. That is why I want you to read the rest of the book. The Samurai Diet goes against many traditional nutrition and fitness industry "established truths". But before you write me off as a radical or quack, or the program as ineffective, I want you to see that every principle is backed by science and real world anecdotal evidence.
Know their strengths and their weaknesses precisely. Learn from them, adapt your approach to take advantage of their weaknesses, and then defeat them before they realize that you have changed your tactics… Knowing yourself, knowing your weapons, knowing your surroundings and your enemy or competitor are all as important as your skill in fighting or in negotiating. Musashi was a master at preparing for a battle beforehand because his goal was to never leave anything to chance. -- Samurai Strategies.
LESSON #1 -- EXERCISE CANNOT MAKE UP FOR A POOR DIET
If you only take one lesson away from the Samurai Diet approach, I hope that it is this:
Your diet -- the typical food choices, nutritional patterns, and food culture habits in the average Y2K American lifestyle -- is your biggest enemy in the body fat war. It is a formidable foe that will take every ounce of your courage, discipline, and warrior spirit to conquer.
Despite what the billion-dollar health, fitness, and fat loss industry would like you to believe, there are no shortcuts. Miracle pills, magical exercise gadgets, and revolutionary training programs can not even come close to making up for a poor diet.
Until you face the tough love truth, that YOU MUST CHANGE YOUR DIET, you will continue to be disappointed with your health and physique enhancement results. Your nutritional habits will have a far greater impact on your body composition and physique goals than any other fitness component.
I’d go so far as to say this: Most people could reach a healthy/ideal body weight with a solid nutrition plan and maybe some daily walking alone; NO FORMAL EXERCISE SESSIONS NECESSARY. I know that’s going to piss a lot of personal trainers off — and by the way, I’m a personal trainer, but it’s the TRUTH.
Now, if you have higher aspirations of physique development (ie six pack abs, big guns, toned legs, etc.), that’s another story. It is gut-busting, weight training sessions for you. But for those just trying to get healthier, feel better, and shed some excess poundage (quantitatively speaking going from 30% plus body fat to something more reasonable like 15% for men and 20% for women) all you really need to do is focus on cleaning up your diet. That’s the fastest, and most efficient path, to real world results.
THE FAT LOSS HIEARARCHY
Trust me, I’ve been in the fitness industry for over 10 years, have personally trained hundreds of people, and have advised thousands more. The clients who used diet as their primary weapon in the war on fat loss were the ones who obtained the best results. The clients who tried to use exercise to offset a poor diet, or who thought they could eat whatever they wanted because they were exercising, taking a pharmaceutical drug, or a miracle supplement, obtained mediocre results at best.
According to a recent article in the New York Times, researchers agree on this fat loss hierarchy:
How exercise affects body weight is one of the more intriguing and vexing issues in physiology. Exercise burns calories, no one doubts that, and so it should, in theory, produce weight loss, a fact that has prompted countless people to undertake exercise programs to shed pounds. Without significantly changing their diets, few succeed. “Anecdotally, all of us have been cornered by people claiming to have spent hours each week walking, running, stair-stepping, etc., and are displeased with the results on the scale or in the mirror,” wrote Barry Braun, an associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, in the American College of Sports Medicine’s February newsletter.
THE 80/20 RULE
Take a step back from the fitness industry, pop culture, or scientific debates and think about it logically for just a second. Let’s say you are extremely motivated and exercise every day of the week. That’s a total of 7 training sessions per week. That’s 7 chances to make a difference and change your body in a positive way.
Now, lets also say you eat 3 square meals a day. Or maybe you follow a fitness nutrition-style plan and eat 5 meals a day. That’s 21-35 opportunities a week to directly impact your muscle building and fat burning goals.
A common question in the fitness industry is, “what percentage of my physique enhancement goals will be a result of exercise, and what percentage will be a result of my diet?” Common answers are something like, “Well, they are both important. You can’t really assign percentages” or “training is 100%, diet is 100%”. But that doesn’t really give novice trainees an accurate depiction of the bigger picture. In the big picture, diet will always have a bigger impact on physique enhancement than training.
I believe most people need a more quantitative way of looking at this relationship in order for it to sink in. We can all say we need to eat better to get results, but that really doesn’t stress just how important that step truly is. While health clubs are expanding, our waistlines are exploding nonetheless.
Its obvious most people need a new way of looking at the fat loss process to change their current dietary habits. Numbers can help. In our above example of 7 training sessions and 35 meals geared toward body composition improvement a week, that works out to about 20% accounted to physical activity and 80% accounted to diet. I’d say that’s a pretty accurate assessment of the physique enhancement process. If you want to look good, 80% of your results are determined by the food that you eat.
And even for hardcore athletes, diet will still play the biggest role in achieving body composition-based goals.
FAT LOSS IN THE REAL WORLD
This principle is about real world fitness nutrition, not statistics, so lets leave the numbers behind and look at some real world examples. If you look around your gym, you’ve probably noticed some regulars that have been there day-in and day-out for months, or even years, but look exactly the same. How can there be all of that time and effort with no results to show for it? The answer is diet of course, or lack thereof.
Another good example is professional NFL offensive lineman. These guys are pro athletes that perform vigorous training protocols on a daily basis. They are big, strong, fast, and could certainly throw me a severe beating. Most of them, however, have a little jiggle with their wiggle, a large percentage of them are obese. How can this be? Again, the answer is poor, or no nutritional strategy.
Conversely, when you hear tales of dramatic weight loss or great body transformations, diet/nutrition is always at the forefront of the discussion. “How did you lose the weight?” friends will ask. “Oh, I went on such and such diet” or “I read this or that nutrition book.” People can make drastic changes in their physique with diet alone.
Here’s another real-world scenario. Two people walk into the gym to meet me for the first time. One says they are willing to bust butt and train with me every single day of the week. They will do exactly what I tell them to do in the gym, but they won’t change their diet. They love sugar and that’s that.
The second says they are willing to be meticulous with their diet, but they know they will not be consistent with the gym. In fact, they can’t stand the site of me. They will pay for a diet, follow it 100%, and that’s that.
Give me the second person every time. I’d make more money off the first one, but I’d get more results with the second one. And to me, that’s what matters most.
The moral of the story is you can’t change your body just by exercising. As a matter of fact, I’d say you are wasting your time in the gym until you clean up your diet and implement a sound nutrition protocol. It would be nice if we could work off last night’s junk meal with some extra cardio. Despite what some trainers would have you believe, it just doesn’t work that way.
In the same article in the New York Times, this sentiment was reinforced:
None of which is a reason to abandon exercise as a weight-loss tool. You just have to understand what exercise can and cannot do.
“In general, exercise by itself is pretty useless for weight loss,” says Eric Ravussin, a professor at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., and an expert on weight loss. It’s especially useless because people often end up consuming more calories when they exercise."
This, of course, is why I wrote the Samurai Diet first before any training book. Until you make some changes in your diet, any training program (even the greatest training program in the world) will be meaningless.
LESSON #2 - THE FAT LOSS HIERARCHY
I want to use a specific example to teach you why diet will always be more important for fat loss than any exercise plan, and conversely why exercise will never be able to make up for poor dietary choices.
This will be science based and technical (and thus may be boring for some of you), but I think it is a worthwhile endeavor to read nonetheless, because it will give you a true understanding of why your food choices are so much more important than any training program you pursue.
Otherwise, you might continue sweating away at the gym and getting nowhere with your physique enhancement goals.
We're going to use what I call the Ice Cream and Eliptical Example.
Lets say you get an itching for some ice cream. Who doesn't love ice cream? And I don't care what the damn label says. The whole pint is the serving size, because that's what 90% of people are going to eat in one sitting in the real world -- not two bites, or 1/8th of a cup, or whatever else the manufacturers are allowed to get away with saying to confuse you into thinking, "oh, that's not so bad."
With that reality check, our pint of ice cream has some staggering nutrition totals: 980 calories, 60g of fat,128g carbs, and 96g sugar.
No problem you say? You will work that off at the gym tomorrow.
So you hit the gym and jump on the eliptical (or bike or treadmill or exercise class or trail run, etc.) the next day to burn off the calories. And because you feel guilty for last night's indulgence, you decide to put in some extra time to compensate -- you bump it up from your normal 60-minute hamster-in-a-wheel session, to an agonizingly boring 90 minutes You hit 980 calories burned. Great.
You ate 980 calories of junk food the night before, but at least you burned 980 calories today. You should have squared your debt, right? That's what many believe. That's what many misinformed trainers and health professionals believe too; and they even encourage that flawed way of thinking. Sorry, it doesn't work that way.
That misconception is why despite the fact that the gym, boot camp, and personal training industries are expanding, our waistlines are exploding nonetheless.
The whole "burn it off mentality" is based on the flawed philosophy that it is only the calories in vs. calories out equation that matters. Unfortunately, the human body is way too complex for fat loss to be boiled down to a simple arithmetic problem.
Now don't misunderstand me, achieving a negative calorie balance is still the most IMPORTANT part of the fat loss process, but it's not the ONLY factor. You also have to look at the metabolic and hormonal impacts of food (and exercise) to truly grasp, and then conquer, the fat loss puzzle.
Let's return to our pint of ice cream and this time and look beyond just its calorie content. Let's look at the hormonal impacts of ice cream consumption.
Ice cream is loaded with fat, which ensures that there are plenty of circulating fatty acids in the bloodstream. It's also loaded with sugar. This floods the bloodstream quickly and causes a rapid rise in the hormone INSULIN. Insulin is a clearing and storing hormone. It clears nutrients from the blood and deposits them to be stored in different tissues (muscle = good, fat = bad).
High circulating fatty acids (from dietary fat consumption) combined with insulin spikes (from sugar consumption) virtually guarantees that your fat stores will suck up plenty of the fatty acids and sugar being cleared from the bloodstream. Strike One.
When did we eat our ice cream, at night right? Here's strike two.
GROWTH HORMONE is a very important natural hormone in the body transformation process. Growth hormone is our most potent FAT BURNING hormone in the body. And in this regard, it is just as important for women trying to drop fat as it is for men. You are way better off trying to maximize the natural production of growth hormone than popping a bunch of fat burning pills.
Growth hormone levels vary throughout the day, but we get our biggest surge of growth hormone within the first 4 hours of sleep. Here is the problem with ice cream late at night. Research has shown that high insulin levels AND high levels of circulating blood fatty acids inhibit natural growth hormone release.
So that ice cream right before bed (or any other high sugar, high fat meals or snacks), prevent our bodies from releasing our most powerful fat burning weapon.
The count is now 2-0. But at least with some good intentions, you're going to the gym to burn some of those calories off. Cool, we'll give you a foul tip on that one. The count is still 2-0.
However, traditional cardio is way overrated for fat loss, and again it moves beyond just calories in vs. calories out into hormonal and metabolic considerations. Cardio burns some calories and fat, yes, but people underestimate the contribution amino acids (from the breaking down of muscle tissue) can have to that fueling process, especially when the session exceeds 45-60 minutes.
Traditional cardio causes a rise in the hormone CORTISOL. This is oversimplified, but in general, cortisol is a "catabolic" hormone -- it can cause the body to break down its own muscle tissue to provide fuel for the body. Cortisol rises in a linear fashion in response to exercise. With cardio sessions, you may be burning calories and some fat, but the longer you go, the more in danger you are of also burning muscle as a fuel. Burning fat is a step forward, burning muscle is a step backward.
Obviously, this is not great for your body composition goals. Losing muscle slows down your metabolic rate. Muscle also provides your body with its shape and tone. This is why those who focus on caloric deprivation and extreme amounts of cardio may lose weight, but still maintain a soft, flabby appearance (the skinny-fat syndrome).
So the 90-minute cardio session burns some calories, but it also burns up some muscle.
STRIKE THREE YOU'RE OUT!
That was a lot of information, so lets review and summarize.
On the surface, the calories in vs. calories out equation seems valid with our ice cream and elliptical example.
980 calories consumed = 980 calories burned
But when you dig deeper, and look at the metabolic and hormonal impacts the ice cream and extended cardio session have on your body, you see that the equation doesn't quite balance. What you get is this:
1. High blood fatty acids combined with high INSULIN, which guarantees FAT GAIN
2. Inhibition of GROWTH HORMONE, which PREVENTS FAT BURNING.
3. Overproduction of CORTISOL, which leads to MUSCLE LOSS
Fat Gain + Inhibition of Fat Burning + Muscle Loss = BODY FAT.