3 gluten-free pasta choices (how to use to max out fat loss)

Most of the time, pasta is a disaster for your body, not only because of excessively high carbohydrate content (that's only useful if you're an extremely active athlete), but also because most pasta is loaded with gluten, which as we've established in previous newsletters, may cause chronic inflammation and digestive issues even for people that are not officially celiac or "gluten sensitive". 

The jury is still out on long term health consequences of eating too much gluten, but many researchers believe that excessive gluten over time can cause possible digestive disorders, autoimmune diseases, and a huge list of other possible health problems that are starting to be linked to gluten.  Personally, I don't get crazy trying to completely eliminate gluten (since I don't seem to have immediate problems digesting it), but I've made the effort to dramatically reduce my gluten intake, usually only on 1 cheat day per week or only when traveling.

With that said, there still are some delicious pasta options available to you that are gluten-free, and you can take your choice of low-carb, medium carb, or high carb, depending on whether you're doing a carb cycling fat loss program like Shaun Hadsall's.

I'll let Shaun take it away here and show you his favorite 3 pasta choices that are gluten-free and can be used for different purposes...

3 Healthier Pasta Choices that Can Support Your Fat Burning Metabolism
By: Shaun Hadsall – CPT and Creator of 4 Cycle Fat-Loss


Gluten-Free Pasta #1:  Shirataki Spaghetti (low carb)

I had this particular pasta last night because I’m going low carb this week as this is a light exercise week for me.

It only has 4 grams of carbs per serving, it’s gluten-free and vegan…and it tastes like real spaghetti, but with a lighter flavor.  It's made from mostly soluble fiber and water, so very low in calories and carbs.

My wife cooked it up and than added some free range chicken breasts, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, broccoli, bamboo shoots, ginger, red pepper flakes…and then added some gluten-free low sodium soy sauce.

YUM!

*Use this on your carb down or deplete days when you follow my carb cycling program.

Gluten-Free Pasta #2:  Gluten-Free Organic Black Bean Spaghetti (medium carb)

I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was. My wife threw some homemade red sauce on it and cooked up a grass fed burger with some Swiss chard, garlic, and mushrooms on the side.

Man she can cook. :)

This has 16 grams of healthy low glycemic carbs and 20 grams of protein. It also only contains one ingredient. Well two really; black beans and water.

*Use this on your baseline days when you carb cycle.

Gluten-Free Pasta #3:  Gluten Free-Organic Brown Rice Pasta (higher carb)

This pasta is still considered a starch, but if you’re a pasta freak give this a try a few hours before or after a workout with a piece of wild caught fish or a turkey burger.

Keep in mind that this pasta is equally as high in carbs and calories as regular pasta, so it's only good use is strategically before or after workouts to be utilized in replenishing muscle glycogen.  This is the one to be most careful with and use only at the right times that your body won't deposit it as fat.

*Use this on your Carb Up days when you carb cycle.

So there you have it.

Three healthy pastas that can help you stimulate your fat-burning metabolism when used at the right times.

Just make sure to…

a.    Always combine these pastas with a complete protein source (you can get away with eating the black bean spaghetti by itself, but I still recommend adding a little more complete animal protein).

b.    Time your intake of these pastas properly.

c.    Don’t use them everyday.

And that’s pretty much what my new updated 4 Cycle Fat-Loss system is all about. Understanding how to “cycle” healthy carbs using the 4 proven cycles of Macro-Patterning.

And don’t forget about all the bonuses you get when you take action today before the deadline…

Bonus #1: Food Timing Tricks for RAPID Fat-Loss

Bonus #2: The 7 Day Ab “Targeted” Cardio & Interval Solution

Max out your body’s ability to burn lower belly fat by synergistically using the food timing tricks WITH the Ab “Targeted” exercise protocol.

Experience 7 days of your FASTEST fat-loss ever:

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Here’s to staying lean through the holidays this year!

Good luck!

-Shaun Hadsall, CPT and creator of 4-Cycle Fat Loss

This is the #1 cause of DEATH

I'm sure you're aware that heart disease is the #1 cause of death in industrialized nations... in fact, although it's not fun to think about, you most likely already know someone close to you that has been stricken with this, and the cold hard stats are that heart disease is #1 most likely scenerio that might eventually kill you years before your time.

Even if you're in your 30's or 40's, you NEED to start thinking about heart disease and how to prevent it, because I'm sure you've seen the stories about celebrities and other people you've heard about dropping dead each day as young as their 30's and 40's from heart disease...

But did you know that you've been LIED to about the causes of heart disease...

You've been told by the medical establishment to "lower your cholesterol" and pop statin drugs like candy... but here's an important fact that you should know...

Fact:  Did you know that 50% of heart attack victims do NOT have high cholesterol levels!

Knowing that fact, doesn't it make you wonder why the medical establishment is artificially trying to force everyone to "lower their cholesterol" which creates a multi-billion dollar cholesterol-lowering drug industry. 

It's not fun to think about your own mortality... but this shows you that you MUST take responsibility for own health, and not assume that the medical establishment is going to take care of you... because they're not... they're simply trained to prescribe a massive cocktail of drugs to you that could have a whole series of harmful side effects in your body.

Instead, you need to learn how to take control of your own health the NATURAL way... without drugs!

The fact is that you CAN save yourself from ever having to deal with heart disease in the first place with the right nutrition, lifestyle, and other factors.

Don't procrastinate any further... start taking action TODAY to fight against this #1 KILLER by educating yourself on exactly what you need to prevent heart disease in the first place...  do yourself a favor and watch the short 2-minute video at this site below, and read every word on the page... it very well could save your life:

Here's how to protect yourself from this #1 KILLER (the TRUTH about heart disease)

Dr. Walsh, who created this life-saving program, has agreed that it is so important to get this information in your hands, that he's put up a coupon for a limited time on the site for a full $80-off the program, reducing the price from the regular $97 all the way down to only $17.  So don't miss out on this while it's available.

You'll see how to use the $80-off coupon on that special page above when you read it.

Give your heart a break from the ravages of chronic inflammation and get started today on correcting the situation for good.  A long healthy life awaits!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

Your blood levels of THIS control your immune system, hormone balance, and energy levels

Well, it's almost winter here in the northern hemisphere, and that brings along with it a health risk that most people don't even think about often... your blood levels of vitamin D3.

Your vitamin D levels are one of THE biggest factors for how often you'll get sick this coming winter, and I've seen estimates that as much as 80-90% of the North American population has sub-par levels of vitamin D, with as much as 50% potentially clinically deficient.

As you may know, this is the main reason people get sick more often in the winter vs the summer... there's just such a major connection between your vitamin D levels and the strength of your immune system, as well as your hormone balance.  And your vitamin D levels are highly regulated by how much mid-day sun exposure you get throughout the year.

Not only that, but your vitamin D levels also control much of your hormone balance too, as well as energy levels, and low vitamin D levels in winter from lack of sun exposure is a major problem for many people (yes, even in sunny locations like southern California, as you'll see why in a minute).

Here's something you NEED to know about the fall and winter in the northern hemisphere...

At this point in the season, in MOST of the United States (except the very far southern parts of the country), and probably 100% of Canada at this point in the year (mid Oct), as well as all of the northern portions of Europe, the sun's UVB rays are already too weak in the fall to trigger vitamin D production in your body... even at peak sun levels mid-day, depending on both latitude and altitude of each location.

According to vitamin D researcher Dr. Joseph Mercola, while UVA rays from the sun make it to the surface of the earth regardless of the angle in the sky, the sun needs to be at least approximately 30-40 degrees above the horizon for UVB rays to penetrate the ozone layer of the earth and make it to the surface.  And it's only UVB rays (not UVA rays) that trigger vitamin D production in your skin. 

This varies in each location based on latitude, altitude, smog and other air pollution that can block UVB rays, and other factors.  For example, 30 degrees sun height in the sky might be sufficient at a higher elevation above 5000 feet on a clear day with no air pollution, but might not be sufficient at sea level in a smoggy city.  At sea level in a smoggy city, you might need at least a sun angle of 40 degrees or more for UVB rays to be sufficiently strong enough to produce vitamin D in your skin.

Therefore, based on the latitude that you live, the time of day, as well as time of year, there are only certain times that the sun is actually greater than 30-40 degrees above the horizon.  So keep in mind that you are only capable of producing vitamin D from the sun at any times of day or times of year that the sun is at least 30-40 degrees or higher above the horizon as an approximation.

Temperature is not a factor in how much vitamin D producing UVB rays that you get (except for the fact that you're more willing to expose more of your skin when it's warmer), but as I mentioned, the clarity of the air is a major factor as cloudiness, smog, and other air pollution can block the UVB rays and prevent you from producing vitamin D even if you're outside on certain days.

*By the way, the easy way to estimate what 40 degrees above the horizon looks like is to think that 90 degrees would be the sun straight directly above your head, and 45 degrees would be halfway down to the horizon.  So 40 degrees would be if the sun is just slightly below half way from the horizon vs directly over your head.

I recently found a table on a Navy website that gives you exact calculations of the sun's height in the sky on any day of the year and at any location -- latitude being the key here.

As an example, in New York City (or any cities at a similar latitude), in the strongest sun month of June, you have a sun angle of 40 degrees or more above the horizon all the way from 9am through 5pm (according to the Navy table above) ... However, once you get to mid-October, the sun no longer goes above 40 degrees at all. 

So even on a sunny day in late October or November in a latitude such as New York City, you might not produce any vitamin D, even if you were out in the mid-day sun, since UVB rays are not strong enough at those low sun angles in the sky.

That means your time of year that you could actually produce vitamin D in your skin would be approximately March through early October at most latitudes in the northern two-thirds of the US. 

Further north into Canada (depending on how far north we're talking), that time span for vitamin D production from the sun would be a few weeks shorter on both sides of the year compared to that example of New York. 

And if you go further south, into Florida, southern Texas, Arizona, southern California, and other lower latitude states, that time span that you can produce vitamin D would be several weeks longer on each side of the year than our example of New York, but there would still be a couple months in the deepest part of winter that you can not produce vitamin D in your skin, even on sunny days because the sun is simply too low in the sky and UVB rays too weak.  The only exception would be the absolute lowest latitudes of Hawaii, southern Florida, southern Texas as examples in the US... basically, any location south of approx 30 degrees North Latitude have strong enough UVB rays to produce vitamin D all 12 months of the year.

The same scenerio can be said for equivalent northern latitudes if you live in Europe.  And of course, all of this occurs at the opposite time of the year in the southern hemisphere, again all based on how far a particular location is from the equator.  I show you exact examples of your "vitamin D winter" based on sun height in your area in this blog post here.


So what does all of this really mean to your health?

Well, it means that NOW is the time to start paying attention to your vitamin D levels if you want to keep your hormone balance optimized, and keep your immune system strong enough to fight off any sicknesses this winter.

Although old guidelines say that anything over 32 ng/dl for blood levels of vitamin D3 is good, new research about vitamin D is suggesting that getting levels between 50-80 ng/dl is what is considered optimal to actually see maximum benefits on your hormones and your immune system.

Did you know that many people are surprised to find out that their blood levels of vitamin D are shockingly low with levels in the teens or 20's.  No wonder they get sick so often!

And for the guys reading this, low blood levels of vitamin D3 can also spell low Testosterone levels, so make sure to get your D levels where they need to be if you want optimal T levels! 

Not surprisingly, due to the sun-phobic mentality that's been hammered into our heads by the media, along with lack of time spent outdoors and/or excessive use of chemical sunscreens, most people have chronically low vitamin D levels even in the summer, and I mentioned earlier, this greatly affects your immune system as well as your hormone balance.  So now that winter is coming, it gets even worse as Vitamin D levels can drop another 50% in the winter if you're not supplementing.

As a general rule for North America and Europe, in order to maintain a strong immune system through the winter, most people will need to supplement with vitamin D3 from approx October through March, unless you live in Hawaii (the southernmost latitude in the US), southern Florida, or any latitude further south than about 30 degrees N latitude. 

Personally, I don't supplement with vitamin D3 in the summer months, because I do a LOT of outdoor activities like hiking, mountain biking, and other sports, so I get my D3 from the summer sun, and based on my test results, I seem to stay above 50 ng/ml in the summer without needing supplementation.  But starting in October is when I start taking 5000 IU daily of an oil-based D3 supplement.  I personally use this oil-based vitamin D3 supplement as it uses heart-healthy coconut oil instead of inflammatory refined soybean oil as the base..

I talk more about vitamin D and it's vitally important relationship to your ability to fight off sickness at this article below... and I also give you 6 other powerful tips to keep yourself from getting sick year round:

7 powerful tips to NEVER get sick again


Another article I put together on this topic that you should read is here:

Study shows higher vitamin D levels makes you equivalent to 5 years younger

Talk to you soon!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

Study reveals how temperature affects your fat loss

I just read about this little factoid, and I thought it was pretty interesting, so wanted to pass along to you...

According to a 2006 study in the International Journal of Obesity, temperature may greatly affect your fat loss, both in the winter and the summer.  Men's Health magazine reported on this data recently with this:

"In 1923, the thermal standard for winter comfort in US homes was a brisk 64 degrees F.  By 1986, the average thermostat was set to a balmy 76 degrees. It's natural for us to upregulate our metabolism in winter to keep warm while downshifting in summer, when heat slows our appetite".

So the fact that modern society is always in a climate-controlled world now, and we are exposed to higher than normal temperatures than would be natural in the winter, and lower than normal temperatures in the summer is a possible variable that can mess with your natural metabolism.

The lesson... instead of keeping your thermostat in the mid 70's F or higher in the winter, try to keep it between 64-66 degrees F.  This will not only save you LOADS on your heating bill, but could also boost your metabolism in the winter months to help you lose fat.

And in the summer, if possible, use a little less air conditioning if it's not absolutely necessary. Get some fresh air and open the windows when it's not too blistering hot in the summer.  Or, if you live in a really hot humid area, perhaps just try to use a more moderate temperature, such as setting the AC at 78 degrees F instead of the 70-72 degrees that most people set their AC to.

Again, you'll not only save a TON on your energy bill, but could possibly help balance your natural metabolism a bit more.

Here is another important tactic from my colleague, and celebrity trainer, Wes Virgin:

See how my client Patricia lost 38 lbs in 4 weeks, and Charles lost 40 lbs using THIS technique

 

To your fat loss success,

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

Unique 36-day protocol to strip 10-15 lbs of fat while building lean muscle

If you want to see the exact protocol of how my friend Nick lost an insane amount of body fat, all while actually building lean muscle at the same time, pay attention to this story... in fact, I'll show you some pretty cool before and after pics of Nick after two 36-day "rounds" of this new protocol that he designed.

Now let me just first say that Nick is one of the smartest personal trainers that I know, and he's even been called "the mad scientist" because of his unique workouts and all of the crazy experiments that he runs on himself and his clients. He's even INVENTED several exercises that nobody in the fitness world had ever thought of before... I'm not kidding.  The guy is an exercise genius.

The types of programs he uses are like nothing I've ever seen with most traditional trainers, so it's not surprising that Nick gets better results than most trainers.  Check this out below and see how you can use Nick's protocol he's invented to totally re-shape your body in 36 days:

Unique 36-day protocol to ERASE 10-15 pounds of fat while building sculpted lean muscle

When you check out Nick's page there, he's also going to show you his 3 biggest secrets for RAPID and PERMANENT body fat reduction:

1. Nick's "idiot-proof" formula for keeping and building muscle and strength while losing large amounts of body fat FAST (and it IS possible, even in advanced trainers) and without having to spend your whole life in the gym.

2. An EASY nutrient-rotation strategy that TOTALLY prevents metabolic slowdown so you NEVER hit a fat-loss plateau...AND how to customize your training to the exact nutrients you're eating to literally DOUBLE your results.

3. How to structure your overall training program so rebound weight gain DOES NOT HAPPEN and you continue to lose fat even after you're done.

You know what's crazy, and how we know this works... Nick actually tested this protocol on himself by performing TWO rounds of this 36-day protocol, and he went from 16.7% to 6.6% body fat in 72 days and dropped 3 inches from his waist...Insane!

You can see legit pics here of Nick dropping 10.1% BF in 72 days (very cool, and impressive!)

Read that page and you'll also see 3 nutrition problems that Nick identifies that could be harming your metabolism and your hormone balance.  The insulin and growth-hormone relationship is one that is very powerful in my opinion.

And you'll actually ENJOY some of the nutrition techniques that Nick shows you in his protocol, as although it can be strict at times, his "nutrient rotation" technique also allows you to eat burgers, pizza, and other delicious foods that might be off limits on typical fitness programs.

And when you try the exercise protocol, you're going to be blown away at how your body responds... here's some of the techniques that Nick will take you through:

* Fat-Loss Circuit Training
* Lactic-Acid Training
* Time/Volume Training™
* Antagonistic Superset Training
* Cluster Training
* Triple Drop Set and Triple Add Set Training

Are you pumped to get started? 

Here's how to get RIPPED in 36-days (check out the special deal Nick has for you this week)

Note:  If you have more than 10-15 pounds of body fat that you want to lose, you can REPEAT the 36-day protocol a 2nd time to get as lean and chiseled as you want.  After a 2nd round, you'll want to switch to a different training program for a while so your body doesn't adapt.  In the future, you could return to this protocol at any time that you need FAST results in about 5 weeks.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

This citrus fruit increased fat loss after 12 weeks

I'm back with another quick tip today that can help to enhance your fat loss efforts...

I recently came across this study published in 2006 in the Journal of Medicinal Food, titled "The effects of grapefruit on weight and insulin resistance"... the study measured results after 12 weeks of 91 obese patients broken down into a placebo group, a group that received a half of a fresh grapefruit before each meal (3x a day), a group that received an 8 oz glass of grapefruit juice before each meal, and a group that received a grapefruit capsule before each meal.

The results were interesting...

It turned out that grapefruit before a meal DID in fact increase fat loss, with the fresh grapefruit group losing the most weight, although even the grapefruit juice group and the grapefruit capsule group lost more than the placebo group.

The study concluded, "There was also a significant reduction in 2-hour post-glucose insulin level in the grapefruit group compared with placebo. Half of a fresh grapefruit eaten before meals was associated with significant weight loss. Insulin resistance was improved with fresh grapefruit."

It's interesting to note that the fresh grapefruit improved insulin sensitivity, thereby helping to control insulin and blood sugar levels, despite the carbohydrates contained in the grapefruit.  This is similar to the results I showed you in this article where pre-meal lemon juice was also shown to control the blood sugar response from a meal...yet another example of a citrus fruit improving insulin sensitivity.

I would also venture a guess that this result might also be seen in fresh squeezed lime juice, but I have not seen any studies on this as of yet.

Want some more tips and tricks to help you lose fat faster?  Check this brand new one out:

The #1 trick to RELEASE stored up toxins and MELT belly fat (helps to drop fat fast)

To your fat loss success!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Best-Selling Author

Do carbs age you faster?

The answer in general terms is no, because it all depends on the type of carbs and the quantity...  The reason is because excess blood sugar over time DOES indeed age you faster, and this is something I'm sure you want to avoid!

Let me explain why...

This all relates to something called "glycation" in your body, and substances called Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs).  These nasty little compounds called AGEs speed up the aging process in your body including damage over time to your organs, your joints, and of course, wrinkled skin.

So with that said, what is one of the biggest factors that increase production of AGEs inside your body?  This may surprise you, but high blood sugar levels over time dramatically increase age-accelerating AGEs in your body.  This also includes each individual spike of blood sugar from high-carb meals, eating too much grains, too much sugar, sweetened drinks, etc.

So how do you prevent accelerated aging from high blood sugar related AGEs?

Well, the first thing that might come to mind is going on a very low-carb nutrition plan most of the time to keep average blood sugar levels consistently low.

Unfortunately, going too low on carbs for too long can have some negative consequences such as Thyroid hormone problems and also Leptin hormone levels going too low, which can slow your metabolism.

That's why I never follow extreme low-carb plans like Atkins... Instead, I follow a more paleolithic nutrition approach that focuses on proteins, healthy fats and veggies, while eliminating grains (except cheat days), but still keeping small to moderate amounts of carbs from fruit, small amounts of legumes, and potatoes or sweet potatoes.

So with that said, and knowing that you still want to enjoy at least some moderate carbs in your life, here are 2 tricks you can use below that help to fight aging...

The first one targets using specific herbs and spices to keep your blood sugar lower and more controlled any time you eat carbs:

Trick #1 to FIGHT aging (powerful herbs and spices to use before or with meals)

This is one of those little-known facts, but there are certain herbs, spices, and other ingredients that you can use before any carbohydrate-containing meal to dramatically reduce the blood sugar response from that meal...

One of those powerful substances is cinnamon.  In a study published in 2003 in the medical journal Diabetes Care, moderate doses of cinnamon taken daily for 40 days reduced blood sugar levels by 18-29%.  And yes, lower blood sugar means lower levels of those nasty age-accelerating AGEs in your body!

Another powerful substance for controlling blood sugar response from meals and lowering your overall blood sugar is something called alpha-lipoic acid (ALA).  ALA is a powerful antioxidant that helps to control blood sugar levels and increase your insulin sensitivity (a great thing!).

Aside from the anti-aging effect you could expect from ALA, any substance that helps you control your blood sugar, can also help you to lose body fat... a side-effect that I'm sure you will enjoy as well!

A third powerful herbal substance that helps to control your blood sugar from meals is a specific phytochemical found in the herb fenugreek. This works in a similar, but slightly different fashion than cinnamon and ALA, but is equally powerful for controlling blood sugar and thereby slowing aging with consistent use.

For the past couple years, I always tried to obtain cinnamon capsules, fenugreek caps, and ALA separately, but I recently found a really powerful combination product that contains ALL 3 of these unique ingredients, along with 2 other powerful blood sugar controlling herbal ingredients in the most potent doses according to the research...

You can try out this powerful natural formula for yourself here:

These 5 powerful herbal ingredients control blood sugar to help SLOW aging (don't let carbs speed up your aging)

Note: use this powerful combo before any carb-containing meal to help minimize the formation of AGEs in your body and therefore slow the aging process!  And a nice side benefit of controlling blood sugar is less cravings and reduced body fat over time too!


Trick #2 to FIGHT aging (a very unique protocol to use 3x per week)

Ok, this actually involves 5 steps...

And this involves eating MORE of a certain type of delicious but healthy fat, avoiding a certain type of exercise that can actually accelerate your aging (are you doing this type of exercise?), and 3 other steps that you can follow to look at least 5-10 years younger:

>> 5 Simple but powerful steps to look 5-10 years YOUNGER


I'll be back soon with more secrets about foods and exercises that can help keep you younger, both on the outside AND the inside!


Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer