Warning: Stolen material inside!!!

So I stole this:

Here's what you do if you store Lower Body (or Low Back) Fat:

Estrogen is a sex hormone.  Men and women have it,
but in varying amounts.  Increased estrogen stores,
relative to testosterone, are linked with lower body
and low back fat storage patterns.  In this case, you
might be wondering why your upper body gets thinner,
but your legs seem to stay the same size.  It's a good
thing that we have a hormonal manipulation expert
amongst our friends, as Roman and I have come up
with 2 great solutions for you.  Immediately, we'd
like you to start density training, following Roman's
protocols; however, after you lose some unsightly
bodyfat quickly, we're going to quickly transition
you over to a program that focuses a little bit more
on building muscle.  This way, we trigger your body
into understanding that it's time to produce even
more testosterone.


Now, let's teach you what to do if you store Belly Fat:

Cortisol is a stress hormone.  Everyone has it, and
it's most common symptom is waking up between
2-3am at night, even if you fall back asleep.  If you
have elevated cortisol (i.e. you're stressed out and
have been for awhile), it's a good bet that you're
storing more belly fat that you need to be.  The
best thing you can do for this, according to Roman,
is fight cortisol with growth hormone by
Lactic Acid Training.  I'd also suggest that you
work on your stress directly, with the
3 Step Stress Reduction Plan and alternating
agonist/antagonist exercises while performing a circuit. 
'On' days, you'll work directly on the belly fat, 'Off'
days you'll work directly on your stress.  


What if you store Hip Fat/Love Handles?

Insulin is a hormone related to the amount of sugar
you consume on a daily basis and how well your
body processes this sugar.  The most common symptom
for increased levels of insulin on the body is love handles,
although when insulin sensitivity becomes a disorder
(i.e. Diabetes), there are much more serious consequences. 
The "counter" hormone for insulin is IGF-1, which is
stimulated through Roman's 'Dynamic Training' method,
which is a ton of fun, and more similar to how I train on
a regular basis.  I may also recommend that you sneak in
some afternoon workouts, for just 15 minutes, and do some
super high intensity stuff that burns up all of the excess sugars. 
Doing this 3x/week for a month while also building in some
'dynamic training' is a perfect way to say goodbye to your
love handles on a more permanent basis.  

But here's the source: www.finalphasefatloss.com

SUCH good info! Different hormones and different ways of eating can definitely make a difference. More on this shortly....

Dr. R

Coco-I'm-a-nut

So one of those things I feel I must share is information about fats and diet and saturated fats and heart health. It stems from my dad having a heart attack over a year ago and my eyes being opened to the world of the AHA (American Heart Association) from the eyes of a patient/patient's family vs my previous view as a physician.

But that's a story for another day...all I really want to post about now is coconut oil. I love this stuff! It's a saturated fat and it's a medium chain triglyceride. If you simply Google "medium chain triglyceride" you will find a WEALTH of information. The best thing I can tell you about MCTs is they don't require bile to emulsify them (yay if you don't have a gallbladder!), and they diffuse into the blood directly, which means the cells in your digestive tract don't have to work to absorb them and they don't have to be "packaged" as HDL or LDLs! They are instant energy and not going to be stored as excess fat in most cases. It can actually lead to weight LOSS!

In particular, I am amazed at the reaction to "saturated fats"...say this phrase to any Joe Schmo and watch the facial expressions of horror begin! Ask Joe why he reacts negatively and he will usually not be able to give you a good reason other than "they say they're bad."

Here's a really good description of saturated fats. Even though it's a prostate page, the definitions and descriptions are very well done, even for the lay-person (I think...).

So back to the coconut oil. This stuff is awesome. No taste or smell of coconut. Great to cook with and stands up to heat very well. IMHO healthier than olive oil. And you should taste the brownies, chicken, fish, pasta, green beans, etc with a little bit of this stuff drizzled over, cooked in, or made with!! People actually "take" this stuff a spoonful at a time (not me) as a supplement.

Oh, and take a look at lauric acid...one of the fatty acids that are part of coconut oil. AMAZING benefits with that stuff too!!

This is by no means a complete description of this stuff. I just have to get some thoughts started...to either start conversations or remind me to come back and post more later.