Download a transcript of this episode
Topics
1. [1:38] Dark Circles under Eyes
2. [4:19] Cannot Lose Bodyfat
3. [10:20] Paleo Diet Ranked Last by Expert Panel
4. [19:59] Eating Less when Hot
5. [22:41] Melatonin and Natural Production
6. [28:31] Creatine and Tight Pants Don’t Make Babies?
7. [33:35] Clean Deadlifts
8. [42:14] Hypertrophy for the Love Struck Hardgainer
Questions
1. Dark Circles under Eyes
Jeanni Says: Hey Guys! I don’t think you’ve talked about this yet, and it’s something I would love to have answered! I am 29 years old and have had dark under eye circles for as long as I can remember! They seem to get progressively worse the older I get. My father has them too really bad, guess I seem to take after him. Is this hereditary, nutritional, or what? Just wondering if you know any more than me and might be able to shed a little light on this issue. I would love to not have to wear so much make-up, and also to not look as though I stay up all night every night! Thanks so much!!!
2. Cannot Lose Bodyfat
Adriana Says: I’m a personal Fitness Trainer. I work out 6 days a week, everything from Oly lifts to “Crossfit” workouts to stair running and all sorts of high intensity craziness in between. I’ve been Paleo for 1.5 years and never really cut much weight. I might have lost 5lbs at the beginning but not much more than that. I’m 5’2″ and right now probably around 118-120, YIKES. I’m stuck at a point I hate, feel much better at 112-115. I cut out all fruit except Coconut (milk, raw) during the week and try to limit it to 1 serving during the weekend. I also cut out nuts (I think I was a little to liberal with that for too long), only eat Macadamia nuts on the weekend in small amounts. I really don’t know what else to do. I am 98% strict, biggest cheat is a gluten free baked good every other month or so. I’m annoyed that I can’t cut more weight. I am wondering if I should start counting calories or if there is another way. I tried to up my fat (Avocados and Coconut) to test the outcome but 3 weeks later I’m still the same. Getting annoyed and aggro over the whole thing. Either I lose some stomach fat or I have to go back to running Marathons (please no). Help!
3. Paleo Diet Ranked Last by Expert Panel
John Says: Dear R & G, G’DAy from Australia mate!
I’ve been a faithful 7th or 8th listener of the podcast since episode 1 (I listened to 40something back episodes in a row to catch up). I’m also a doctor and practice in Orthopaedic Surgery. I have adopted the Paleo lifestyle and lost my little belly that would persist no matter how good shape I thought I was (I guess I’m not insulin resistant anymore)..
This is the first time I write so I’ll keep it simple.. I don’t mind if I make it into the podcast or not but I needed to share this with you and ask you to break it down for us listeners.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/06/07/ranked-best-and-worst-diets/#ixzz1Oe9fKLTT
A panel of Experts has decided that the Paleo Diet is the worst diet there is for losing weight, promoting health and for lacking scientific evidence and long-term weight loss maintenance. Some panel of experts!
4. Eating Less when Hot
Justin Says: I live in Illinois and already we are having days with a heat index of 105 degrees and 90% humidity. On these days, I don’t feel like eating much. Before, I was eating three square Paleo meals a day, but now breakfast and lunch have become almost non-existant. By the time dinner rolls around, I can usually muster up some kind of an appetite, but I’m still not eating like I was. I’m not into elite fitness or athletics, I just want to be healthy and live forever. Is there anything wrong with dialing back my food during those hot days?
5. Melatonin and Natural Production
Hi, sorry if my spelling is ill or if this question has already been adressed. I`ve only gotten to episode 40 but I renember you said in one of youre earlier episodes that you do from time to time take melatonin for sleep. Wouldent an intake of a hormone offset the “hormonal balance” in the body (or anything like that)? Should melatonin be an only worst case scenario. The reason im asking Is that my friend is taking melatonin and living like pig while im busting my chops(I know a lot of piggie talk now) to sleep better. I use about 1-2 hours getting to sleep almost always waiking up around 8.30 (ca 8 hours), im sleeping in almost total darkness and I stopp using computer or the tv 1 hour befor bed-time. Much appreciated, yours truly, the prince of Norway
6. Creatine and Tight Pants Don’t Make Babies?
Hey Rob, I am a huge fan of your book and podcast. I am a 27 year old CrossFit coach and athlete at the “Elite” level. I am on a strict Paleo diet and have been for about 8 months. My wife 25 “Also paleo” and I are ready to have a baby. We have been trying for about 5 months with no success. My wife is a nurse and being so she is a product of modern meds and testing. We have both taken tests to see if there is a problem. Her test showed that she’s a prime candidate for pregnancy. My sperms count test came back super human, 4x above average. But my motility was under 50%. The Doc told me to stop wearing compression skins and stop taking Creatine.
My questions are does Creatine lower motility in spurm? And do you have any help for a young couple trying to get pregnant? Thanks for your help
Study Link – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3781011
7. Clean Deadlifts
Dave Says: Hi Greg, I train 2 days/week weightlifting and with 2 days/week of 5/3/1 deadlift/squat/press. Sometimes I mix in some CrossFit when I can’t help myself. I believe that my deadlift (around 200kg) is out of proportion to my clean (around 95kg).
Should a person who is mostly interested in improving their clean only do clean-style deadlifts or clean pulls? Assuming I am able to fix this asymmetry in my lifts, should I just continue doing the clean deadlift in order to keep my 1st pull consistent?
Thanks and good luck with your coaching!
8. Hypertrophy for the Love Struck Hardgainer
Hey guys, I love listening to the podcast, especially when I’m working (I tried to while working out, but my focus needed more focus).
Here’s my sitch. I’m fairly good on the paleo diet, and have been for a couple months now (and I was so-so on it for about a year before that, then motivation really hit–more on that in a sec). Lots of beef, pork, fish, cheese, eggs, mixed nuts, some broc. and cauliflower for veggies (and their alleged anti-xenoestrogenic properties), a sweet potato or two now and then after weightlifting, and maybe a protein shake here and there and/or some whole milk, but only right after weights as well. I supplement with fish oil, creatine, glutamine, and a few vitamins. No sugar, no grains, no legumes, not ever, not even fruit, not even a cheat day.
I weight train three days a week, on a basic push/pull/press/squat split (with a vanity set of bicep curls thrown in every once in a while if I’m feeling moxie), using dumbbells for extra weight (no access to really heavy stuff, so if that’s the answer, I’m SOL). I don’t go for reps so much as timed cycles, since that keeps me from getting lazy, and I’d been doing in cycles of about 45s/15s with a minute in between rounds, for a total between 22-30 mins. This should, by the TUT gospel, be getting me all big and puffy, but so far not so much. It winds up being around 12 reps per exercise, and I’m about to chop it down considerably so it ends up being around 5-6.
My motivation here, by the way, is not that I think being bigger is so awesome. I’m a natural ectomorph, with a low carb tolerance to boot. I can foul up my body composition just looking at sugar, and wind up skinny fat in a hurry. (Gee thanks mom and dad, those genes sure are swell.) And I don’t mind being lean–in fact, I’d like to be even leaner, more into the six pack territory than the four I’m currently drinking.
However, I seem to be stuck at around six feet tall, and one hundred forty five pounds. I don’t know how many kilos that is, but it’s not very many for being six feet tall. Don’t make me try to do meters, I was an English major.
I IF a couple times as week, and eat like a horse on training days. My body comp has improved noticably, I have scads of energy, I’m in great health and *feel* spiffy.
But there’s a girl. A really, really, really ridiculously good-looking girl, who also happens to be brilliant and interesting and has a great personality. And weighs one hundred and forty or so American pounds. A weight that looks better on her, no matter what system its measured in.
So, obviously testosterone isn’t my issue, because I’ve got enough hormones addling me to want to gain muscle. Not a lot, I’m not going on the Jersey Shore here, but enough that there’s that comfortable element of sexual dimorphism. Nothing says ‘keep me in the friend zone’ like being nearly the same size.
I’m willing to eat more (how!?), sleep more (I get plenty) lift more (or less), or follow a totally new plan of deadlifts and kicking puppies. Whatever it takes. But what, of what, is a hard-gainer with a couple years under his weight belt and no more pounds to show for it supposed to do? If I weren’t me, I’d tell me to just pick a new goal, or be happy with what I have–maybe take up parkour or something.
But the heart wants what the heart wants. Ain’t no way this girl (who is herself six-packed out, I might add) is gonna give me another look sans a touch of bulk.
Help?
Please?
8. Hypertrophy for the Love Struck Hardgainer:
Best. Question. Ever.
Can we start a PS non-profit to raise funds to send this man to live in captivity with John Welbourn for 3 months?
OMG- BEST RESPONSES EVER! I was cooking eggs & bacon and CRACKING UP to these guys giving relationship advice on The Paleo Solution Podcast. Epic win.
Agreed, definitely the best question/answer in the podcast history.
I was walking in the grocery store listening to it with an earbud, and started laughing out loud in the middle of the store 🙂
I hope he follows up, lets get this dude muscles and a girlfriend!
I agree that this was the best response to a question, especially since I am a 140# women with a boyfriend that is similar in height and weight. He is also about 8 years younger. The best thing he did was become my friend first and believe it or not he won me over.
P.S He is amazing at gymnastics movements and loves parkour. He is like a little monkey in the gym we work at so, I would work definitely work that angle.
Oh my god, I was CRYING laughing.
Man, I need to come up with a better screen name, but yeah. I’ll keep you guys posted. At the very least, we’ve proven that Lenny Bruce was right about all great comedy coming from pain. 😉
This was beyond hysterical & cute! I was cracking up in my car! My favorite piece of advice was from Greg “…biggest thing with girls you gotta keep in mind is that, you can’t really be straight forward with them; you kinda have to trick them into doing what you want…”
I died! It was just so hilarious! I loved it! I freaking love this podcast! =D
robb + greg giving “girl” advice = podcast jumping the shark
Re: Dark circles. If that person drinks coffee, I strongly recommend ditching it. I’ve been working on some adrenal recovery for myself and for clients and have dropped caffeinated coffee as a daily gig and have noticed a decent change in my dark circles. Adrenals being off- either just not outputting enough or having an off-rhythm, can both be big issues as Robb said. I have been working on protocols for people as mentioned with adaptogens and stuff like licorice root, phosphatidylserine/phosphatidlycholine and vitamin/mineral complexes. That said, often it’s a matter of figuring out the stressors in our lives to get a good handle on the mental/emotional side of why your brain is telling your adrenals to put out more cortisol all the time. I recommend checking out this podcast for more on adrenal fatigue and maybe you can find a scenario that explains how you feel that will reveal that the dark circles may be a side effect of that underlying issue: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/undergroundwellness/2010/10/07/the-truth-about-adrenal-fatigue-with-dr-bryan-walsh
Good luck with it!
How can you tell if you have adrenal fatigue? I have been debating on giving up the caffeine but I really enjoy my coffee and green tea. Would limiting it to one cup of one or the other be reasonable?
Oh, I might be in the same boat. I love my coffee. I’m afraid to listen to that podcast. But, maybe I need to face my demons.
Best thing you can do is get the ASI test Robb recommends on other podcasts. I’ve used it over the last 2 yrs w/ my naturopath to heal my adrenal issues, and it’s been HUGELY successful in helping us determine which supps and how much of each I need. PS – My black circles are dead-gone after my adrenals have come back in line. I don’t need any makeup at all now!!!
This may have been the most hilarious podcast you guys have done. Lovesick paleo. And, I think that boy’s got the humor down, at least in his writing. I think he’ll do just fine. Just talk to her, man. Great advice.
I don’t know about the rest of you but I have never had a problem eating in any weather condition!! If left to my own will, I would be a 400# Monster. Literally could eat up to 6,000 cals a day and not feel hungry! I sometimes wish I was a “hardgainer” these people that complain about eating massive ammounts of food and don’t gain a pound make me so angry!
Last question was the best one ever guys. And its totally true about the gymnastics impressing women but not the weightlifting. Got to start working on the dancing now….
Absolutely agree. Last question/answer….EPIC.
LOVE your “rant” starting at 10:20. I’ve only been doing the paleo thing for about 6 months (after 18 years of vegan-hood!)–so I need reinforcement occasionally! (Man, that “fat is bad for you” internal voice is relentless…)
Keep up the good work!
Also like the Rant and the expanded topics, would love to hear more about gardening, sustainability, politic-esque type things.. exc..
I’ve been doing it for 15 months. You will never want to go back. I promise. That’s crazy that you were a vegan for 18 months. I see so many people who go from veganism to primal. It’s rarely the other way around.
Only Castle Grok…. he was primal and is now a fruitarian.
You guys really stepped it up today. Never thought I could turn to you guys for both my weekly dose of paleo and dating advice.
Hypertrophy for the Love Struck Hardgainer: hey dude, you might want to check out my blog http://www.geeksguidetodating.com/ for some free tips to snag your buff lady friend
Regarding Adriana:
I’m kind of tired with the response to “I can’t lose weight” as “stop looking at the scale”. You aren’t addressing the obvious issue that she is eating more than she is burning. Full stop. She needs to eat less (paleo or not). Even Mark Sisson recognizes this scientific tidbit, why can’t you?
This would not be so obvious to Gary Taubes though.
Eating strict paleo and working out fairly intensly *should create perfect hormonal condition for burning excess fat and leaning out.
If it does not happen then something goes wrong, and it’s not about how much you eat.
Uh, have you read any of Gary Taubes stuff? http://www.garytaubes.com
Why would a persons bodyweight be more important than how they look/feel/perform?
Why eat less just for the sake of losing 5lbs when its going to make you lose muscle/performance and have less energy?
Well, in some sports it does matter. Take a very primal activity like rock climbing or its power/strength oriented version – bouldering. You need to be strong and flexible and smart and have very good body coordination and solid core strength, etc., and if your fingers cannot hold your body weight you won’t achieve too much.
Even in sports like climbing or bouldering it is the strength to mass ratio that matters. Good technique, flexibility and strength through the entire ROM, are as important. I have seen light guys with reasonable strength to weight ratios suck at rock climbing! I think bodyweight can be important but 5lbs is not that much if it were 20lbs it would be different but given the diet and activity levels of the person I think Robbs advice was spot on!
I feel like you would lose more strength by going into a calorie deficit to starve off that 5lbs. You might be lighter but you are gonna get weaker too.
Regarding Clean DLs: I am not sure why Greg and/or Robb didn’t mention this (and I hope I am not messing things up for either of them) but Greg has an AWESOME collection of videos of the different lifts and exercises here: http://www.performancemenu.com/exercises/index.php.
I wish he had a video from the side for the CL DL but I am sure you get the picture. The lowest hanging fruit here is video your DL of 140KG (this is what Greg is pulling in the CL DL video) and it should look a lot like what is shown there. If it doesn’t, that is the first place to start. I know they both discussed technique in the podcast but nothing is better than a video in this case.
If you haven’t yet, order Greg’s video (http://www.cathletics.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=498&zenid=b3899d47a195b491f740618e66790ebb) and his book. Give it a couple hours study and I am sure that you will increase your CL PR in just a few months.
This is the second podcast that I have listened to. I will now be going back to episode #1.
Robb, you are too awesome. The 10 minute part where you talked about paleo going mainstream was awesome. I can sense that its so damn close. The community is simply incredible.
And, you guys are hilarious. Can’t wait to listen to the previous 84 episodes!
holy hell guys, just wanted to say that both the last question and your answer to that question had me laughing out loud while walking the dog. The guy wrote a funny ass question but greg was hilarious with the reading and his female-advice at the end. Cheers.
Was that 10 sets of 6 or 6 sets of ten (squats). Sounds a lot for a frail old man but heck, the girl says my quads and hams are looking skinnier every year and it’s getting harder to keep up with the young blokes (and even the shielas) on the bike or skis (well, at least I am pretty canny ski touring).
Regarding the Paleo diet ranked last.
The person writing it is Dr. Felicia D. Stoler, I found her web site and she is affiliated with a campaign “Raise your hand for Chocolate Milk” which is supported by the National Dairy Council in an attempt *not* to get chocolate flavoured milk removed from USA Schools!
That. Says. It. All.
and she’s a spokesperson for ovaltine.
I enjoyed your response in Question number 5 re melatonin and not being able to sleep. I sent looking for a source of Gaba and could only find Gaba in combination with other supplements and in 100mg. Is it all right to take Gaba 2 capsules is one serving of the following?
Niacin(as niacinamide) 200mg 1000%
Vitamin B6 20mg 1000%
Taurine 600mg
Inositol 600mg
Glycine 400mg
GABA 200mg
So we would need to take 4 capsules of this supplement.
If not do you have a source and recommendation of where to find GABA?
Thanks tons,
I did enjoy the podcast 🙂
Becky
I too enjoyed the entire podcast. Regarding Question 3, and the storm of political “push-back” brewing just over the horizon, I agree that this is something to expect. I especially liked Robb’s insight of how this all ties together into a big system, from Liberty Gardens to rendering Big Pharma irrelevant for most.
It reminds me of a great blog post I read on a finance website. Departing from all the financial stuff she normally covers, out of left field, the author wrote an excellent piece on food where she said,
“There are very many misconceptions about food, as about many other aspects of life where the received wisdom is fundamentally wrong (including our usual topic, finance). As in other cases, this institutionalized misinformation harms real people every day, yet it is almost impossible to mount a challenge from within the system because the system protects its entrenched doctrines from scrutiny.” (source: http://theautomaticearth.blogspot.com/2010/12/december-6-2010-our-daily-bread-or-not.html )
Exactly.
I would love to hear some more “rants” on the podcasts!
I will have to look into that documentary you guys were talking about.
I once had a client who spent the summer working on a farm tell me about gov. scare tactics against the farmers. The farmers had a local meeting discussing about what to do after being threatened. They told her and she told me that if a person were to search for the words raw+milk in a search engine that their computer ID number will immediately be sent to authorities and then that computer would be “monitored.”
Your site was probably already monitored prior to me typing that.
On a better note: I recently signed up to get my Level 1 Poliquin BioSig cert in Sept and I already have read your posts a few times coach but is there any updated additional advice you can give me while in attendance? Besides bring a shit load of paper and pens and wear only crossfit apparel.
XOXO
Awesome podcast guys. I think there could be a solid market for Robb/Greg relationship/love advice. If nothing else than just for the pure comedy of it.
Great podcast as usual, guys.
Just adding my .02 here as I would love to hear more from the sleep guy Robb recommended and the supplements.
Thanks!!!!
Hi Robb, do you have any additional details about (1) The Kirk Parsley “sleep cocktail,” or the findings by your friend Grace re endogenous production of melatonin not being downregulated by supplements? Thanks!
Info on the cocktail will be forthcoming.
this is Grace’s site…It was just a conversation i had with her re the melatonin…I’ll get her on the podcast and go deep on that. http://drbganimalpharm.blogspot.com/
Thanks Robb!! Looking forward to it, and I will check out Grace’s blog.
Dr. Parsley has resurfaced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS-SkALrMN8
He discusses recommendations and pathways between 29m and 30m, and between 49m and 1h07m. Despite talking over an hour about sleep, he provides no info on any “D3 cocktail,” indeed almost no info on Vitamin D3 except that “you need it,” and he does not say anything about supplement timing.
But he says he is working on his ebook (“Optimize Your Sleep”) and on his web site (docparsley.com), so maybe the cocktail recipe is being saved for that. Also, he says he is going to be selling a “powder” sleep supplement.
Doc will be back on the podcast next week as week talking hormonal modulation.
Thanks Robb. I hope he’s in the mood to discuss D3-melatonin-GABA cocktails!