Myth Busting #3: Eat Every 2 to 3 Hours to Spike your Metabolism!

If you missed the previous posts in this series, Myth #1: Weight Loss is Complicated, or Myth #2: You Can Spot Reduce Fat, be sure to check them out. Continuing the series on busting some pesky myths, it's time to look at the idea of increasing your metabolism through eating more often.

THE MYTH:

Eat small meals every 2 to 3 hours (6 meals a day) to spike your metabolism. Your body is like a fire, if you constantly stoke it, the flame will burn hotter!

THE TRUTH:

You cannot trick your body into burning more or less calories by manipulating meal frequency.

THE EXPLANATION:

This myth has been debunked so many times that I am shocked it still persists...but for some reason the majority of clients I talk to still believe it. In fact, there are plenty of Personal Trainers and so called "nutrition experts" that are still repeating this nonsense. Metabolic rate varies from person to person due to a number of factors including genetics, age, hormone levels, active muscle mass, etc. However, meal frequency is not one of those factors.

The myth started and was propagated due to epidemiological studies (that is a fancy word for the study of behavioral patterns) of fit versus overweight people. There were multiple studies done in the 50's, 60's and 70's that lead to these false conclusions. In these studies, they found that the fit people typically ate smaller meals and snacks frequently at regular intervals throughout the day whereas the overweight people only ate a few times. From these studies, the theory arose that eating smaller meals every few hours throughout the day lead to an increase in metabolism - resulting in more calorie and fat burning throughout the day. Another theory that played into this myth is the notion that your body has an extreme sensitivity to going into "starvation" mode, and if you don't feed it regularly, your metabolic processes will come to an immediate halt in order to prevent starvation (I'll talk more about this in an upcoming myth busting post). However, where these studies went so wrong is that there was no due consideration of other factors that actually affected weight loss/gain. Almost all of these studies narrowly looked at eating frequency habits...not at total caloric load or activity level. For example, in the study someone eating 6 small meals a day might have consumed 2,000 calories whereas someone eating 2-3 meals might have consumed 5,000 calories. But these studies didn't look at calories...woops! Ultimately, these were uncontrolled studies that didn't prove anything about metabolism.

In recent history there have been a myriad of good, scientific studies that have shown meal frequency does not affect metabolism. The New York Times even referenced a study in 2009 by The British Journal of Nutrition which concluded that there was no difference in metabolic rate or weight loss in people who ate 3 meals versus 6 meals. There was another good study in 2010 by The School of Human Kinetics, and you can search online and find many, many more. However, the myth just won’t die! I suppose it is true that if you tell a lie long enough and loud enough people will accept it as the truth.

THE TAKEAWAY:

Now that you know meal frequency is not a factor in metabolic rate, what does that mean for you?

• If you simply enjoy the habit of eating small meals and snacks regularly throughout the day, no problem. However, be careful that these habits aren't leading you to consume too many calories and prevent you from achieving your goals. Eating 6 times a day requires a lot of preparation, planning and effort to ensure you are eating the right kinds of foods and not overeating.
• If you have been forcing yourself into the routine of eating 6 times a day because you think that is the "healthy" thing to do...I'd suggest you change your plan. See if you can eliminate the snacking and move more towards a regular meal schedule. Truth be told, some people ruin their diet plan because of poor snacking choices.
• Increased meal frequency does have some potential negative effects, which compound if you are eating high glycemic index carbohydrates. Constantly spiking your blood sugar at regular intervals throughout the day can lead to reduced insulin sensitivity...making it more difficult to burn fat and leading to a number of other health issues. You also may experience regular fatigue throughout the day due to the spike and fall in blood sugar associated with your meals/snacks.
• Want to actually increase your metabolism? Do strength training! Obviously, Boot Camp falls into that category. Even while you are resting, your body will burn more calories to rebuild and repair muscle after strength training. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn at rest, and muscle under repair is the most active tissue for burning calories.
• And finally...whether you have a fast or slow metabolism may make things more or less challenging when it comes to weight loss. BUT…weight loss still has to do with whether you take in more calories than you burn and vise-versa. Don't use your metabolism as an excuse to prevent you from achieving your health and fitness goals!

Scripture for the day:

I Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

Is anyone wondering why on a fitness blog I'm constantly posting some type of scripture verse or spiritual thought? The answer is pretty simple. I believe if I'm serious about being a follower of Christ, I should use whatever platform I have to influence others for Christ by pointing to Him. Now whether my platform on this blog is 5 people, 500 people, or 5,000 people doesn't matter. I need to use whatever platform God has given me and be faithful with it. Being a Christian isn't, or it shouldn't be, exclusive to interactions with "church people" or just on "Sundays." It should be all of the time, in every interaction and opportunity I have with others...and when the only audience I have is God.

Does that mean I'm batting 1.000 or that I never fail in this effort? Of course not. Praise God that He is willing to use imperfect people to accomplish His perfect plan!

Myth Busting #2: You Can Spot Reduce Fat

If you missed Myth #1: Weight Loss is Complicated, you can click HERE and link back to it. Continuing the series on busting some pesky myths, it's time to look at the idea of spot reducing body fat.

THE MYTH:

You can spot reduce body fat. For example...if you want to lose the fat around your stomach, focus on sit ups and crunches!

THE TRUTH:

You cannot spot reduce body fat. Your body does not target fat based upon you exercising the specific muscles groups that are near those fat stores. 

THE EXPLANATION:

When you lose body fat, it primarily happens via the FILO (first in, last out) process. That means if, when you gained a bunch of weight your stomach was one of the areas that put on fat first, when you begin losing weight it will be one of the last places that slims down. Body fat storage patterns are genetic, and that is just one of the reasons why people come in so many different shapes. Some people store fat very proportionately over their entire body and don't have specific areas that really store larger proportions of fat. I consider these people the lucky ones :). Some people are genetically predisposed to disproportionately store fat in their hips (butt) and thighs, and some store it in their stomach and lower back. For me in particular, while I've worked hard to maintain a single digit body fat %, I store nearly all of my subcutaneous body fat (also called adipose tissue) in my stomach, love handles, and lower back. I carry little fat anywhere else...but DANG...it is hard to get rid of that stomach fat! The pizza, brownies and ice cream that I eat on a semi-regular basis probably doesn't help either :(

Physiology of Fat Burning

The basic process for energy utilization or storage.

Your blood stream is the pathway for nutrients to flow to and from your organs, muscles and fat stores. Muscles and subcutaneous fat deposits are not directly linked, so burning calories doing biceps curls has no direct link to fat deposits in your arm. Just like not regularly exercising a muscle group doesn't mean fat is specifically going to congregate around that muscle group. If that were the case, there would be millions of guys out there with completely shredded upper bodies and fat legs. So no matter what muscle group you've worked, no matter how many crunches or sit-ups, how many squats and reverse leg raises you've done, your body burns fuel that comes through the blood stream which flows through your entire body. Wherever you are genetically pre-disposed to lose fat from is where it will come from. For the most part, fat will be burned from all over your body and results of burning fat are gradual. Obviously, if 50% of your fat is in your stomach, and you lose a few pounds of fat, you'll likely see the greatest fat loss in your stomach because that is where most of your fat is. However, don't think it is all those extra crunches you've been doing that specifically targeted belly fat. Strong 6-pack abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus) and a strong core (transverse abdominus) are important...but they are small muscles and exercising them won't burn much calories and fat.

Physiologically, the process that your body goes through to burn fat is completely independent of which regions of your body you are exercising that day. As you begin to understand how your body actually burns fat, it becomes more and more absurd to believe that exercising a muscle group near the fat stores will specifically burn those fat stores. I'm going to do the best I can to simplify the information below since I know everyone is not as much of a nerd as I am. EDIT - I actually typed up a paragraph about muscle and liver glycogen, glucagon, insulin and how your body uses these various items at differing times and triggers storage or usage of energy etc. Then I realized I was going down a rabbit hole and most people's eyes would glaze over anyway...so you have been spared :) Luckily, I found a great graphic online which really simplifies the process so that it is very easily understandable. Because your body regulates blood sugar extremely efficiently (in healthy people), it knows when to store energy and when to burn energy (convert stored energy). See the graphic on the right. We are going to start on the left side with Low Blood Glucose. When your blood sugar drops, your body regulates it by converting, among other things, body fat through the process above...eventually turning that fat into glucose that is released into the blood stream to achieve normal blood sugar levels. On the right side, is High Blood Glucose, which happens when we eat, and especially when we eat high Glycemic Index carbs. Insulin is released which allows your body to pull the glucose out of the blood stream and uses it to refill muscle and liver glycogen levels...and then stores the excess as fat. This is quite oversimplified...but that is really what you need to know about the way your body uses or stores energy.

Common Sense

Some things make sense until we really think about them. If it were true that muscle activity and closely located fat deposits were linked, think about how weird different people who do different things would be shaped. You'd have some people who sit at a keyboard and type...their arms and hands should have zero fat on them even if they are overweight right? I mean, they are constantly moving the muscles in their hands and arms while sitting still with the rest of their body. That means they've burned off all of that finger and forearm fat by constantly using those muscles 8+ hours a day! They might look something like this:

If spot reducing body fat were possible, you'd see a bunch of people who look similar to this.

I could come up with numerous other examples of people who perform various repetitive tasks that use specific muscle groups and are not disproportionately shaped. If spot reduction of body fat was possible...trust me, we'd all know it.

Summary

I don't think I need to belabor the point...I think this myth has been BUSTED! One more thought though. Liposuction...not such a great idea. You can suck the fat out of certain areas of your body...but it will come right back if you continue to intake more calories than you are using. The best solution is to earn a fit body by developing habits that will allow you to lose the body fat and keep it off.

Alright, the next myth to be busted is: "You should eat more often to spike your metabolism." This one is going to be really interesting (at least to me) and will take us into the arena of Intermittent Fasting. There are still RDs (Registered Dieticians) out there propagating this myth, so it is a very important topic to discuss. Stay tuned!

Scripture for the Day

I thought about this verse earlier today and how applicable it is to a number of areas of our lives, including our health and fitness goals.

Hebrews 12:11
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

Think about the process it takes to lose weight and get in shape and all of the challenges you have to deal with. You are out of breath, tired, sweaty, thirsty, hungry, muscles are sore, body aches, your mind is telling you that you can't, experience might even be telling you that you can't, you are tempted by food, tempted by the couch, your motivation fails, you might have to fight injury and recovery...the list goes on and on. Certainly staying disciplined on attaining better health and fitness habits can be painful. BUT...for those who stick with it, it produces a harvest...it produces results! And with those results come better self-esteem and confidence, better health, maybe even some added peace. The verse above can be applied in many ways and in many areas of our lives...but think about it today in terms of your health and fitness goals and let it remind you why you are going through the discipline! GET YOUR HEAD RIGHT!

- Major Pain

Spinach, Pepper Jack and Ham Stuffed Baked Chicken

Delicious and nutritious

I found a good recipe online for Spinach and Pepper Jack Stuffed Chicken and decided to try it. It was good...but we made it better!

This is also a good recipe that you should make in bulk and then you've got a couple of extra meals prepared in advance. Meal preparation is HUGE when it comes to healthy eating. When meal time comes and you don't already have a plan, you are much more likely to grab some fast food, and/or make poor nutrition decisions.

Prepare in advance by cooking in bulk and you'll save time, money, and be less likely to cheat!

Ingredients:

• Thawed Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (I'd suggest making 4 to 6, but that's up to you)
• Block of Pepper Jack Cheese - shredded  (Consider each chicken breast like a taco, so grate as much cheese as you want for each chicken breast. Also, some can be placed on top)
• Spinach - either frozen or fresh. Be sure to thaw first if using frozen (You'll probably need 1/4 cup for every 2 chicken breasts)
• Deli Meat Smoked Ham Slices - Use 1 slice per chicken breast, diced.
• Olive Oil - a few tablespoons for coating the breasts
• Bread Crumbs (We use a box of Italian bread crumbs)
• Cajun Seasoning (We use Tony's)

What else you will need:

• Toothpicks - make sure you have plenty
• Baking sheet/pan with a layer of tin foil on top
• Pair of tongs and pliers

It really saves time to have some help with this since you'll be handling raw chicken and not wanting to touch everything else. This is a great meal for a "dinner date" where both you and your significant other cook together.

How to make it:

1. Filet your chicken breasts so that they lay out flat. Run your thumb down the middle of the breast to break any of the connective tissues and begin spreading it. It should lay out like the photo on the right side below. Wash the chicken breasts and remove any fat or unwanted pieces of grizzle that you see.

   

   If you aren't sure how to filet the chicken, youtube is very helpful

   
   
2. Stuff the chicken breast and toothpick it shut. Add your desired amount of spinach, ham and cheese to your chicken breast. Save about 1/3 of the grated pepper jack cheese so that you can place some on top later for a melted cheese topping. Next use toothpicks to close up the chicken breast so that the stuffing does not come out. Be sure you have it closed up well...I probably use 8 toothpicks per breast because I want to make sure the cheese doesn't ooze out once it melts.

   

   The amount of filling you use is up to you

   
   
3. Coat the stuffed chicken breasts in olive oil. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and get out your baking sheet. Place a layer of tin foil on the pan, and pour a few tablespoons of olive oil on the foil. Use the oil to coat the outside of each chicken breast thoroughly. Use as much oil as you need to sufficiently coat your chicken.

   

   Stuffed and coated in olive oil. Tin foil keeps your pan clean

   
   
4. Add bread crumbs and season the chicken. Pour out some bread crumbs on a plate, then press the chicken breast onto the crumbs, and turn until the chicken is well coated. As an alternative, you could sprinkle the bread crumbs over the chicken, but we found that to be messier. After the chicken is coated with bread crumbs, sprinkle the seasoning to your taste onto the chicken breasts. We use Tony's Cajun seasoning and are fairly liberal with it.

   

   We use Progresso brand Italian bread crumbs

   
   
5. Bake the chicken in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. With 5 minutes left, briefly pull the rack out and coat the top of each chicken breast with the remaining pepper jack cheese, and return to the oven for the final 5 minutes. 
   
   
6. Remove the toothpicks and enjoy! When removing the toothpicks, I find it extremely helpful to hold the chicken steady with a pair of tongs, and use a pair of pliers to pull out the toothpicks. This makes the process much faster than trying to pull out the toothpicks by hand or by cutting around them. Enjoy! 

   

   Preparation is the key to healthy eating success

An awesome low carb lunch!

Again, this is a great recipe to make in bulk. It is also extremely low carb, so if you are calorie cycling, add in some broccoli (or your favorite green veggie) and/or carrots for a very fulfilling and delicious low carb meal. Not your low carb day? Add some roasted potatoes to your plate...DELICIOUSNESS!!!

Hope you like it!

Chef Major Pain :)

Scripture for the day:

John 20: 24-29
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Myth Busting #1: Weight Loss is Complicated

I'm starting a new miniseries of blog posts today called "Myth Busting." I recently had the opportunity to speak to a women's conference on exercise and nutrition, and my focus was busting 7 pesky myths. Those 7 myths will be the starting point for this blog miniseries...and depending on where it leads I may add some more. Here are the myths I plan on busting!

1. Weight Loss is Complicated
2. You Can Spot Reduce Fat (Click HERE)
3. Eat More Often to Spike Your Metabolism (Click HERE)
4. Never, Ever, Skip Breakfast or You Will Get Fat
5. Carbohydrates are Bad
6. If Women Lift Weights, They Will Get Bulky
7. Just Eat Healthy and You Don't Have to Exercise

Let's get right into it...time to bust some myths and make sense of the nonsense.

THE MYTH:

Weight loss is complicated. There is no rhyme or reason to weight gain or weight loss, so don't even try to figure it out.

THE TRUTH:

Weight loss is calories in versus calories out.

THE EXPLANATION:

If you consume more calories than you expend your body will store those calories and you will gain weight. If you expend more calories than you consume, your body will dig into it's storage and you will lose weight. Weight loss is really that simple. What isn't simple is behavior. Restraining yourself so that you are not eating foods that are packed with calories isn't always the easiest thing to do. As Cindy Greer, one of our veteran boot campers said, "Weight loss is uncomplicated. It is a mathematical equation. But Math doesn't get hungry for pizza."

Your macronutrient (carbs, fats, proteins) content will not make or break your weight loss...it's all about the calories. Ultimately, if you expend more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. If you consume more calories than you expend, you will gain weight. Now, the type of weight that you gain or lose has ALOT to do with your macronutrient content and your exercise habits, but that is for another blog post. Speaking of macronutrients, do you know how many calories are in each gram of carbohydrate, fat, and protein? Carbohydrates and proteins each contain 4 calories per gram, and fats contain 9 calories per gram. 

* It should also be noted that carbohydrate cycling can cause water gains and losses, and this can give people an unrealistic view of true weight loss. Because water bonds to carbohydrates (approximately 3 to 4g water per 1g of carbohydrate), if you eat a lot of carbs, you'll retain more water. Conversely, if you cut carbs you'll flush water out of your system. This is why people who go on a low carb diet can lose 5-10lbs in a week and then suddenly their weight loss stops cold. They get frustrated, and return to their regular eating habits, only to see that 5-10lbs come right back. Without a proper understanding of true weight loss, these people think they burned 10lbs of fat in a week, and then added the 10lbs of fat back over a weekend of binge eating. Sorry Charlie, that was almost all water weight. True weight loss doesn't happen that that fast (without insane caloric expenditure and calorie restriction...i.e. the Biggest Loser).

Breaking it Down

In order to lose 1lb of true body weight, your body must expend 3,500 more calories than it consumes (caloric deficit). Conversely, in order to gain 1lb of body weight, your body must consume 3,500 more calories than it expends (caloric surplus). So, if you want to lose 10lbs, then you'll need to expend 35,000 more calories than you consume (10lbs x 3,500 calories = 35,000 calories). Weight loss really is that simple. Most people try to make it a whole lot more complicated than it needs to be...but there it is in 3 sentences. Ok, now it's time to get practical and actually understand how to track the numbers and create a plan to lose weight. With discipline, it is fairly easy to track how many calories you are consuming (myfitnesspal is a great calorie counter). The question of how many calories you expend is a little more complicated. You'll need to consider your BMR and your activity level.

BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate

Your body burns a certain amount of calories each day just to carry on life and normal functions. The calculation for how many calories your body burns each day at rest is called BMR (basal metabolic rate). This number varies for each person depending on a number of factors including but not limited to: gender, age, weight, height, hormone levels, and body composition. One of the primary factors is how much lean mass your body has and whether that lean mass is under repaid (recovering from strength training). In order for your muscles to move, they need an energy source...calories are that source. Fat reserves sit in your body as storage, they don't expend as many calories...however, your muscles (lean mass) have to work harder to support the additional weight that fat stores add. Therefore, a person who has weighs 200lbs at 11% body fat  (178lbs of lean mass) will very likely burn less calories than someone with the exact same lean mass (178lbs) but weighs 240lbs at 26% body fat. This is because partly due to the larger person expending more energy via the work their muscles are doing by carrying around the additional weight. BMR calculations are an estimated average at best and aren't 100% accurate because they don't take body composition and hormone levels into account. BMR is calculated using gender, age, weight, and height; but again, it doesn't factor in how many pounds of lean mass you have. Looking for an online BMR calculator? Click HERE.

* It should be noted that various hormones and enzymes that your body produces can up-regulate or down-regulate your metabolism. The thyroid gland produces the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) which play a factor in your body's overall BMR. A condition of hypothyroidism may account for a small decrease in BMR; however, this factor is insignificant when you consider the overall picture of calorie consumption through diet and expenditure through exercise. I've read somewhere (which I can't find now) that most cases of hypothyroidism are responsible for less than a 5% decrease in metabolic rate. In a 2,000 calorie diet that amounts for about a 100 calorie allowance. My opinion is far too many people who have a hypothyroid condition use this as an excuse for weight gain versus looking at their eating and exercise habits. Furthermore, the majority of these people are taking medication to regulate their hormone levels, negating the majority of the metabolic slowdown. These people sell themselves short by buying into the myth that they can't lose weight, and give themselves an excuse to eat poorly and not exercise (the actual cause). There are A LOT of overweight people who don't have a thyroid condition, and it is due to their habits not a hormone imbalance.

Calories Burned Through Activity

Exercise is the #1 thing you can do to increase your body's calorie expenditure. Do you have a job where you are on your feet all day, or a sedentary desk job? Do you play sports or exercise regularly? There are some very good calorie counters available online which can provide you a good estimate of your calorie burn for varies types of exercise. The biggest challenge for getting an accurate estimate is your own estimate of "effort." The difference between moderate and intense exercise may be lost on some people, and studies have shown that most men women overestimate exercise intensity (see study #1 and study #2).

Putting it all Together

Ok, so now that: 1) you understand that you have to expend more calories than you take in to lose weight, 2) and have tools and methods to track your calorie intake, 3) you have tools and methods to track your calorie expenditure, and 4) you know that in order to lose 1lb of body weight you have to expend 3,500 more calories than you consume; it's time to put together a weight loss plan. I consider healthy weight loss 1-2lbs per week. Depending upon weight, this number could be greater or smaller, but 1-2lbs is a good range for the vast majority of people. Therefore to lose 1lb per week, you'll need to run a daily caloric deficit of 500 calories (-500 calories x 7 days/week = -3,500 calories, or 1lb weight loss per week). To lose 2lbs per week, you'll need to run a 1,000 calorie deficit each day. Still need some help visualizing how to calculate your daily calorie goal to lose weight? Check out the following formula with an example. 

FORMULA to lose 1lb per week:

BMR: _____ + ADCB _____ - 500 calories = Daily calorie goal: _____

* ADCB = Average Daily Calorie Burn.

Here is an example (with estimates provided for BMR and exercise activities) which shows you how to calculate your ADCB and your Daily Calorie Goal for 1lb weight loss:

Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) (how many calories you burn at rest per day based on your age, height, weight):   1,700

Average calories burned daily through exercise    (ADCB)                                       + 229

(Add your total exercise calories for the week and divide by 7 days)

                Boot Camp x 2 days = 950 calories

                Jogging 30 mins x 2 days = 400 calories

                Strength training x1 day (45 mins) = 250 calories

                = Total 1,600 calories / 7 days  = 229 calories per day

Daily caloric expenditure with exercise                                                                     = 1,929

Less 500 calories per day for 1lb/week weight loss                                                      - 500

Daily Calorie Goal in order to lose 1lb per week:                                                       1,429

Hopefully this post clarifies some of the mystery behind nutrition for weight loss. Yes, there are many other factors to consider when you have goals aside from just losing weight, but if weight loss is the context in which you are considering a plan of action...focus on CALORIES.

Scripture for the Day

If you haven't read my post entitled "A Father's Perspective" I wanted to link to it again HERE.

- Major Pain

A Father's Perspective

This post may be a little different from what you would expect to find on a blog from a guy nicknamed "Major Pain" ...but I hope you'll read it anyway :)

A friend of mine and I are continuing our weekly Bible study on the Gospel of John. We've met for 19 weeks and have 2 more weeks to go to finish up the book. Today, my friend brought in something that he found online while studying John 19, and I have to say...it hit me pretty hard. Some of you know this about me...but many of you may not. Ever since Kelsey was born I've become a softy...a lightweight...basically I cry at the drop of a hat. I guess having a little girl has changed me, because I wasn't like this before. Send me an inspirational video, I cry. Send me a touching video, I cry. Send me a super happy or super sad video, I probably cry. And when I read about how much my Savior suffered for me, how much He loves me, and how even though I am a wretched sinner He forgave me and died for me...I cry.

In studying John 19, the author of the excerpt below referenced Luke 23:34 in which Jesus says: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." Here is the excerpt my friend brought in to share and what hit me like a ton of bricks:

Whom was Jesus asking the Father to forgive?
It could have been the two robbers, who may have been rebuking Him, although that crime would have paled in comparison to what the others had just done to Him. It could have been the four Roman soldiers who nailed Him to the cross and were dividing or about to divide His clothes, or everyone involved in His arrest, torture and crucifixion. It also could have been a defense in response to prosecution; now that Jesus hung from the cross - since all that the Jews and the Romans had to do for their part were done - perhaps some among the twelve legions of angels may have started begging the Father to let them go and shred those who had trampled their Lord. Whatever the case, consider things from the Father’s perspective. He already had to send His only begotten, innocent Son to die. He had to say No when His Son asked Him while sweating blood to let the cup pass if there is another way. He watched His son get mangled into a bloody pulp. Now perhaps His angels are crying out to Him to let them unleash their fury on the Jews and Romans. But then, from the cross, Jesus - the Prince of Peace - asks Him, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." At that, maybe the angels just dropped to their knees and began to weep, the lips of the Father quivered and He whispered under His breath “My Son…” But here is the clincher: the Father then had to pour the sins of billions of sinners into that very Son, turning Him into sin itself ("For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." - 2 Corinthians 5:21) and hear His desperate cry, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46) as the Holy Spirit is withdrawn, and the death penalty is carried out. This is the ground zero of the Bible, where the justice of God - the need for sin to be punished - collided with the mercy of God - His desire to save us from that punishment. And the only one big enough to bear all of that sin and to contain the force of the collision was His only begotten Son.

This is a very familiar Bible verse to me, and I know that it took tremendous mercy and forgiveness on the part of our Savior to ask for God to forgive those who had abused Him and were putting Him to death. But until today, I had never really considered this from God's perspective. From THE FATHER's perspective. As a father myself, I love my daughter with a love I would submit you simply cannot understand unless you have a child. I remember people telling me that having a child will help you to better understand and appreciate God's love for us. While I still don't think we can fully understand and appreciate the depths of God's love...I agree that having a son or daughter certainly helps us to better understand God's love. That is why this thought hit me so hard today. Think about this...


We have emotions because God made us that way, and the scripture says we are made in His image (Gen 1:27)...do you not think God himself has emotions? Do you not think He loved his only Son Jesus like you love your children? God had watched his Son be maligned, ridiculed, embarrassed, cursed, abused, beaten, tortured, etc, etc, etc, and put on the cross to die. Yet God allowed it to happen because He loved us.

Give me a little latitude to explore this thought with you. All that God had seen his only Son endure was painful...and God's emotions were building. And when His Son, His only Son whom He loved so deeply (yup...here come the tears again...) was about to die, God got ANGRY. Wouldn't you? God's WRATH for these ungrateful, sinful ants (us) was boiling and He was about to unleash it on all of those who deserved obliteration for what they did to His Son!!!!!!  ....But then Jesus, knowing that God's wrath was about to overflow and pour out against all of mankind...lifts his voice to the father and instead of saying "GET THEM DAD!" ...begs for our forgiveness. He pleads with a Father who has just watched His Son suffer undeserved atrocities at the hand of beings that He could vaporize by nothing more than a thought. Jesus stands in between us and the Father and says "...forgive them." And God does...He forgives us. He places the full load of our sins on our Savior, and in that moment...the sins of mankind, when covered by the blood of Jesus, are forgiven.

.....WOW. Maybe it is because my daughter is not yet three years old...but I have never seen this passage of scripture from God's perspective...from a Father's perspective. I don't know if this thought will touch you like it did me...but I'm a wreck today. Thanks Brandon Morehouse for sharing this with me. Love you brother.

Check out this song entitled How Deep the Father's Love for Us.

- Major Pain

Happy Anniversary to my AMAZING Wife!

Today is my and Leigh's 8th anniversary. Every year I give Leigh some kind of sweet card and tell her I love her...but this year, after contemplating Proverbs 31, I wanted to do something a little different. Proverbs 31:30-31 says, "...a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."

Therefore, it's time to go public and heap some praise upon my amazing wife by letting everyone else know how incredible she is. I hope you'll read this entire post and maybe gain just a little more appreciation for what a wonderful person Leigh Abele is. I've also thrown some of my favorite photos of her into this blog at random...because everyone loves pictures!

There is not a doubt in my mind that God put the right woman into my life. She is every bit the wife of noble character that the Bible describes in Proverbs 31. She is worth far more than rubies (v10), I have full confidence in her and she lacks nothing of value (v11), she has been good to me everyday (v12), she is a hard worker and she helps provide for our family (v13-15), she is prudent with her finances (v16), she is generous and has a giving heart (v20), there are a lot of great women out there...but Leigh is the best...sorry other ladies (v29), she fears the Lord and is a Godly woman (v30).

On our 8th Anniversary, I thought of 8 specific reasons I love my wife. She is:

1. Patient - Leigh may not be patient all of the time. But lets be honest, this woman has to put up with me, so you KNOW she's got some patience. (In fact, as I type this, she keeps asking me to come sit with her while she watches the Voice and I keep on putting her off because I'm working on this blog post.) So I love that my wife doesn't throw things at me when I don't come running the second she calls :) 

   

   Leigh, literally moments after giving birth...wow. October 2010.

2. Supportive - Leigh has been incredibly supportive of just about everything I've done or tried to do. You ladies don't know how important that is to a man...you really don't. There is something incredibly powerful and motivating knowing that there is a woman who loves, believes in and trusts in you. From my career, my side businesses, even going from a 240lb guy who never exercised to the personal trainer I am now...even when I want to head off to the gym with the guys almost every Saturday morning, Leigh has been supportive every step of the way. 

   

   Leigh's 30th Birthday in Antigua. February 2013

3. Selfless - Leigh has the heart of a giver...and her selfless spirit has been a positive influence to me over the years. I admire that she'll go completely out of her way for someone else, and even though at times I feel like I have to reign some of that in, I am incredibly proud that I am married to a woman who truly does put others first.

   

   After our first Tough Mudder in Georgia. March 2011.

4. Submissive - If you are one of those ladies out there who feel like the word "submissive" is a bad word...then you don't understand Biblical submission. God knew what he was doing when He told wives that they should be submissive to their husbands...and He knew what He was doing when He told husbands to love their wives. Leigh willingly follows my lead in our marriage...and I appreciate so much that I've got a wife who isn't keeping score, or is always trying to split every last thing right down the middle. It is so much easier to put your wife up on a pedestal when she isn't demanding to be put up on a pedestal :)

   

   After the RAGNAR Relay in Nashville. November 2012.

5. Hard working - Leigh has the best work ethic of anyone I know...period. This woman cares so much about doing things the right way, and she works her tail off both at work and at home. Even if it means staying up all night and working 75 hours in a week, while at the same time taking care of me and Kelsey...she'll do it. I'm so blessed to have a diligent, hard working spouse who puts so much effort into her work.

   

   DJ Leigh working hard on the turntables! April 2012.

6. Godly woman - My wife loves the Lord, and she is a BIG encouragement to me. I love that she makes her relationship with the Lord a priority, and that Kelsey sees mommy reading her Bible almost every morning. Having a spouse that helps to provide a spiritual and moral compass is a tremendous blessing to me. Simply put, Leigh makes me want to be a better Christian, husband, and father. 

   

   Notice I put this one right behind Godly woman. I hope that means she will have mercy on me for re-posting this photo from 2010 when she was pregnant with Kelsey. Hahaha...I'm going to get in trouble :)

7. Easy to look at - This one is pretty obvious...the woman is hot stuff. Yay for me!

   

   B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. Sometime in 2005.

8. Intelligent - Even though Leigh knows when we disagree I'm usually right (...love you honey), she is a pretty smart cookie! It is nice to have a woman to stimulate the intellectual aspects of the relationship...and not just be a pretty thing to look at. Contrary to popular belief...guys actually do want to have a woman that they can talk to. You ladies just have to know when us guys have used up all of our words for the day :) Leigh is pretty good at figuring that out...just one more reason I love her! 

   

   Destin. October 2009.

Oh yes there are so many more reasons why I love Leigh...she is the mother of my child, and the one on the way. She is funny, caring, gives good back rubs, etc, etc, etc. I could go on and on and go way past 8...but then that would defeat the purpose of having 8 items for our 8th Anniversary now wouldn't it?

Leigh. I love you so much. God has blessed me far beyond what I deserve, and I am so great-full that He saw fit for you to be my wife. Proverbs 18:22 says "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord." I don't think the Lord will be upset with me if I say that I have found something GREAT.

Thank you for everything you are to me!
Love, your blessed husband

- Matt

How does my Calorie Cycling Plan Look?

I’ve had a boot camper ask me to post my typical calorie cycling plan, including my workouts and my food. I certainly don’t mind sharing, but there are a few important things to keep in mind when looking at my plan.

1. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! My plan below is not a formula that fits everyone. Based upon your goals and your schedule, your plan may look completely different. You don't have to do or eat exactly what I do or eat. Additionally, I enjoy food and eat fairly liberally.
2. I am not trying to lose weight, therefore, I don’t have a daily calorie deficit and I can eat a whole lot more than someone who is trying to lose weight. My calories typically end up being neutral for the week. If YOU want to lose weight, you need to build that calorie deficit into your plan.
3. I also do Intermittent Fasting. That means every day from 8pm at night, until 12pm the next day (16 hours) I don’t eat anything. When I workout in the morning, I do consume BCAAs pre and post workout, but they are 0 calorie/carb and don’t break my fast. Therefore, when you don’t see me eating breakfast you’ll know why. If you are interested in Intermittent Fasting, go back through some of the earlier posts on my blog. That is when I was first experimenting with it and wrote more about it. For the record…I LOVE IT and it is one of the most effective body composition strategies I am aware of.
4. My goals are strictly body composition, i.e. reduce body fat and increase muscle. My training and nutrition regiment are not geared towards performance training (i.e. sports conditioning, endurance running, etc). I also don’t mind gaining a little weight, if it is the right kind of weight. So if you have performance training goals, you need a different approach.
5. I don’t do cardiovascular (cardio) exercise except for Boot Camp. That isn’t because cardio is a bad thing…but outside of Boot Camp I just personally don’t like doing it. I am not a runner…but I will run very sparingly from time to time if we have a 5k or a Tough Mudder or something that I need to train for. I’d much rather lift weights for my exercise. Once I figured out that I could get and stay lean without having to spend hours on a treadmill I dropped it from my routine. Do I think you should do that? Not necessarily. It depends upon your goals, and your interests. If you have a performance goal and/or you enjoy running…then keep doing it! There are also numerous health benefits of doing regular cardio exercise.

Hopefully the items above will help put my personal plan into context and won’t add to any confusion. My purpose in sharing this is to give you an example of how the major tenants of a calorie cycling plan might look in real application versus theory. For any nutrition approach to work for you long term, it needs to be sustainable, and you need to understand the "why" behind the strategy. Hopefully, looking at my plan and understanding my goals will be helpful.

Sunday

On Sunday, I do a heavy chest and triceps strength training workout. I typically hit the gym right after church, and then eat immediately after the workout. Here is what a typical Sunday looks like for me:

• 10:30am – Begin workout
• 12:00pm – End workout. Immediately drink a Protein & Oats shake with milk.
• 12:15pm – Eat lunch. I love breakfast foods, so I’ll probably make a stack of pancakes with butter and syrup, a ham egg (4 eggs 2 egg whites) and cheese omelet covered in salsa, and possibly some bacon if we have any. I’ll drink 2 8 oz glasses of orange-pineapple juice, and depending upon whether I’m full or not, I might add a bowl of cereal. I try to eat as much as possible for this meal. If I can fit in more food I will. Calories are my friend in this first meal. I also take my fish oil and multivitamin with this first meal. I do that everyday in my first meal, but I won't retype that for every day listed below.
• 3:00pm – Afternoon snack. I’ll typically drink a Muscle Milk and eat an apple. I become a scavenger for my snack time, so anything else that sounds good I’ll add in here like some trail mix, or some crackers and peanut butter. If we are out and about on a Sunday afternoon, I might swing by Tropical Smoothie to add some more carbs to my snack (smoothies are mostly fast absorbing carbs contained in fruit (sugar - fructose). The best time to eat this kind of carb is immediately after a workout.
• 6:30pm – Dinner. We might have spaghetti made with ground turkey meat, we might do some grilled chicken and vegetables, or some pork tenderloin and veggies...who knows.
• 7:45pm - Dessert/Protein shake. Confession. I have a sweet tooth...especially at night. If we have any tasty treats in the house, I eat them. The best way to keep me from eating something like ice cream, brownies, cookies, etc. is to just not buy them. Sometimes that is easier said than done. However, I just found some DELICIOUS Orange Creamcicle Protein, so I'll be using that to kill my sweet tooth instead of something less productive for my goals.

Monday

On Monday, I do a back and biceps strength training workout first thing in the morning. Obviously, I can't eat until 12pm so I'll take 10g BCAA's (Branched Chain Amino Acids) after my workout, and every 2 hours until I break my fast.

• 5:00am – Begin workout
• 6:15am – End workout.
• 7:00am - 10g BCAA's
• 9:00am - 10g BCAA's
• 11:00am - 10g BCAA's
• 12:00pm – Eat lunch. I will usually bring a sandwich from home. Here lately I've been doing sliced deli meat turkey with provolone cheese, light olive oil mayo, and spinach/lettuce on sourdough bread. I eat a bag of potato chips, and I'll have a protein & oats shake with milk. I might also have some trail mix to add into the meal.
• 3:30pm – Afternoon snack. I’ll typically drink a Muscle Milk and eat an apple. If I'm particularly hungry that day, I'll also add a bowl or cereal like Honey Nut Cheerios. 
• 6:30pm – Dinner. Same as Sunday.
• 7:45pm - Dessert/Protein shake. Same as Sunday.

Tuesday

Oh the dreaded low calorie, low carbohydrate day! Tuesday is a rest day for me. I do no exercise, and I try to limit my calories to about 1,200, and go as low as I can on carbs. Although I get to sleep in a little longer because I don't have to get up and hit the gym or be at Boot Camp early...I always have less energy on a low carb low calorie day. The trade off of burning lots of fat, and loading up more calories on the other days are worth it though.

• 12:00pm – Eat lunch. I will usually bring a large container of lettuce and spinach, and then pick up about 18 grilled nuggets at Chick-fil-a. I cut up the nuggets and then use a packet of Chick-fil-a sauce as my dressing. The meal fills me up, but is still low calorie, and the only meaningful carbs come from the Chick-fil-a sauce (about 6g carbs).
• 3:30pm – Muscle milk.
• 6:30pm – Dinner. Typically for dinner I'll do either a grilled chicken salad with a little bit of ranch dressing, or I'll have a large ham, egg and cheese omelet with salsa. Sometimes we'll have some other low carb options, but these two meals are my go-to meals for dinner.

Wednesday

Wednesday is very similar to Monday, except I workout with the Gray Camp in the morning from 5:30am to 6:30am. Afterwards, I lift weights from 6:30am until about 7:15am. After that, I pretty much follow the same BCAA protocol and eating regiment as I do on Mondays. I know...sounds boring right?

Thursday

Thursday is basically a carbon copy of Tuesday (low calorie/low carb) except I get up early to run Boot Camp. Thursdays seem to be even more difficult to adhere to the low calorie / low carb setup. Partly because I've been awake for longer, and partly because I'm expending at least some energy demonstrating Boot Camp exercises. Therefore, when it comes to dinner time, I really have to keep my mind right so that I don't totally blow the eating plan for the day...which has happened more than once :)

Friday

Friday is very similar to Wednesday, minus the Boot Camp workout because I'm leading it instead. Also, depending on how good of a workout I got in, I might add on an extra little 30 minute workout at lunchtime (12pm) If that is the case, I typically break my fast at about 12:45pm. Also, Friday night is usually date night for Leigh and I...whether we go out or just rent a movie. So...chances are I'm ordering pizza or something like that :)

Saturday

Saturday is my favorite day of all! I workout HEAVY legs on Saturdays. In the past I always avoided leg workouts, but I've learned to love them! They are the largest muscle group in your body, and therefore you burn the most calories, and have the potential to utilize more calories for positive growth after a leg workout. That is why I also eat more calories on a Saturday than any day of the week. Some people may consider what I do with my food on Saturday a cheat day...and that might be accurate. I eat pretty much whatever I want, and lots of it. My goal is to see if I can get up to 4,000 calories in. That doesn't happen much unless I have some seriously calorie dense foods - primarily only happens if I go out to eat for lunch and dinner.

• 10:00am – Begin workout
• 12:00pm – End workout. Immediately drink a Protein & Oats shake with milk.
• 12:15pm – Eat lunch. Often times me and some workout partners will go to IHop, or Mugshots, or somewhere to get a lot of high calorie food. The goal is to get as much carbs and protein in as possible. It is GLORIOUS!
• 3:00pm – Afternoon snack. As much as I can eat. If what I'm eating doesn't have much protein, I'll add in a muscle milk or protein shake.
• 6:30pm – Dinner. Could be anything from a nice lean piece of grilled chicken with some veggies and brown rice, to a double cheeseburger with bacon and fries.
• 7:45pm - Dessert/Protein shake.

Conclusion

So that is it...my workout and eating plan. I have to say that I have found a place of freedom in my diet where I can maintain the look that I want without obsessing over food. I used to do that...and it's not fun. Now, I get to eat basically what I want. That isn't to say I can get away with eating pizza and brownies 7 days a week...but if I want pizza and brownies on a Friday night...I do it, and I don't worry about getting fat. I still have to make good choices and I still have to trade off some uncomfortable low carb/calorie days. However, I am really enjoying where I'm at with my nutritional plan and I feel good about maintaining this strategy for quite a while.

Scripture for the day

I Corinthians 10:23 (NIV) “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive."

I was thinking about this verse in the context of our behavior as believers. Yes, there are certain things that that Bible does not directly specify as sin. In areas such as those, believers should use their conscience before God as led by the Holy Spirit within them. This may result in one believer being convicted about a behavior or action that another believer might not be convicted about. This is an area that we have freedom in Christ...in other words, not all believers will be in agreement and we can choose before God how we should behave. However, the verse above should cause us to carefully examine such a circumstance. While we have freedom in Christ...is our action/behavior beneficial or constructive? Do our actions point others to Christ? Enhance our testimony as an obedient believer? Or give God glory? Or do our actions damage our testimony? Result in hypocrisy? Or cause other believers to stumble?