Back with Episode 42 or the answer to life, the universe and everything. Enjoy!
Download a transcript of Episode 42
Show Topics:
Show Notes – The_Paleolithic_Solution_Episode_42
Robb Wolf is a former research biochemist and 2X New York Times/Wall Street Journal Best-selling author of The Paleo Solution and Wired To Eat. Along with Diana Rodgers, he co-authored the book, Sacred Cow, which explains why well-raised meat is good for us and good for the planet. Robb has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world via his top-ranked iTunes podcast, books, and seminars. He also co-founded the 1st and 4th CrossFit affiliate gyms in the world, The Healthy Rebellion community platform, and is the co-founder of DrinkLMNT Electrolytes.
Search Robbwolf.com
Heh..episode 421…wow 😛
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy… exactly what I was thinking when it came to episode 42!! Can’t wait to listen… I’m expecting the answer to all of life’s Paleo questions, lol.
This is a long one, but unfortunately not as inflammatory as my previous questions…
I have a varsity basketball player (female, 22yo, 6’0″ 175lbs) who has recently had a bad flare-up of IBS. She had been diagnosed in the past but I believe this latest occurence was due to solvent/VOC exposure – in the beginning of August the University re-surfaced the gym floor and she was breathing in paint thinners, glue, etc for a couple of weeks working in there.
I’ve gotten her to cut out grains, sugar, dairy, legumes, caffeine and alcohol. She is eating well-cooked vegetables and chicken for most meals, with some coconut milk and berries for palatable fat.
It is a difficult time of year to get her to rest more and exercise less (training camp is next week, when her coach traditionally beats the tar out of his athletes), but I am trying to convince her that the stress of playing/training will only make healing her gut take even longer.
I am afraid a trip to the doctor will only result in a steroid dose without addressing the underlying causes. I have told her we will probably have to rest and de-stress as much as possible til we get her back to normal digestion, but it’s hard to keep a young athlete on the sidelines. Is there anything else we should consider?
Robb, it would be AWESOME for you to be on the Daily Show! If you’re going to try it, let me know, and I’ll help spread the word for support!
This podcast was a beast! Good stuff!
It got me thinking a few times how sports can really direct and focus your training which is both very true and very important. I was wondering how you handle Jits in the aspect that it is pretty intense and there is no “off season”. I got into a lengthy discussion with the lead trainer at my gym, not Jits, about the importance of periodization and and an off season; he doesnt like the idea of rolling 4 times a week for the rest of my life, and I couldnt think of anything to say back to him. I am a teacher so my highest work load is the summer when I have no real work, other than masters classes, and during that period I was following the Jits S&C given on the catalyst athletics forum and rolling at least 7- 8 times a week. So would my “off season” just be Wendlers with some gymnastics 2 times a week and Jits 3 or 4 times a week the rest of the year? Or should I invest in some more time off? Or is this another infamous “it depends on the person” issue.
I should note I like to compete in local stuff, but im not going for Abu Dhabi World Championships or anything…I just love rolling and want to do it as long as possible (im 25 and over a year in).
Also, this was a great read that I believe made an allusion to you and that anyone taking fish oil (all of us) should read…
http://thehealthyskeptic.org/the-definitive-fish-oil-buyers-guide
hi, Robb. just thought i’d reinforce what you mentioned about tyrosine.
some people are super sensitive to isolated amino acid supplements. my blood pressure goes through the roof when i take even small amounts.
Shel-
Interesting. So, likely see this with stress also?
Hahahaha, love the video clip.
Hi Rob and Andy,
Thank-you so much for all of the great work you guys do. I can tell it is a labor of love. I have a couple questions for you.
1. NERVOUS SYSTEM: I have been thinking recently about sympathetic/parasympathetic nervous system balance and how this may be the lynchpin of a lot of diet, exercise and stress management. I am wondering if you come across this concept that much in your research. It has got me curious as to whether the paleo diet helps to shift this balance towards a more anabolic parasympathetic state which helps to build muscle and increase gut blood flow/digestion. This change would also shift away from a chronic overactive sympathetic tone which may be underlying some of the depressive/OCD symptoms that people report to be in remittance with the diet. Exercise mediated effects may even build a capacity to withstand the sympathetic fight or flight state or may shift towards parasympathetic dominance over time as well. Can you comment on this centralized autonomic nervous system theory and the paleo diet/exercise?
2. TEA: I have started to have tea as opposed to coffee in the morning based on some studies that have demonstrated a 50% drop in cortisol for several hours following black tea consumption. I think this in itself would help to prevent catabolism. Is this like the phosphatidylserine mechanism you mentioned where people can get a rebound increased cortisol following the decrease to mitigate it’s anti-catabolic effects? Lastly, should I be concerned about the high fluroide content known to be in black teas and its effects on thyroid, etc.?
Thanks so much guys,
Phil
Ahh, 42…It is all too clear now.
Hey guys! Thanks for answering my fasting question on the Podcast! For a few years now I’ve been trying to train while fasting and have not had much success. The advice that you gave has been very helpful and I’m happy to say that this has been the best year of fasted training to date! I’m sure there are many other people who had a similar question to mine and I’m also sure that the advice you gave helped them as much as they helped me. Thanks again for sharing you knowledge with us, and hopefully I’ll get my copy of the book soon! ANDY- You pronounced my name perfectly!
I thought it was “the ultimate question regarding the nature of life the universe and everything …”
It is funny you mention that peoples quads were burning doing the prowler, when other peoples glutes were fried.
I recently did a Crossfit Competition, including Max deadlift, Fran, ground to overhead/box jump/burpee triplet and a filthy fifty style 20 minute grinder.
The next day my quads were fried and my hammy’s and glute felt like they did absolutely no work.
Problem? I think so!!!
This was my wake up call. I found Contreras’s glute activation page and I am working through some powerlifting style glute hamstring exercises. Sled drag, reverse hypers, glute ham with slow strict negative, stiff leg deads etc…
Does anyone have any other suggestions or is this a good start?
Loved the podcast. I actually like the similar theme throughout. Seems like a good format to follow.
Ehayes-
Interesting stuff.
OMG!! That is the sweetest episode ever.
Have you seen this Blog before? It is pretty good, I think you would like it.
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/
He has a great number of posts on Wheat and Gluten Issues.
Jeff-
Heartscan is phenomenal.
Robb,
Big question for you. Do you think we evolved to get fat off fruit (fructose). This podcast has really helped me understand how fructose is metabolized. My understanding is fructose is quickly converted to palmetic acid which will go to fat cells and disrupt hunger signaling in the brain (via effects on ghelin (thanks Robb, John Welborne and Matt Lalonde).
It is the end of summer and the markets are full of fresh fruit. From an evolutionary view point it makes sense that fruit is available when we should be gaining fat reserves to survive the winter. Is fruit supposed to make us fat, or did we evolve to get fat off fruit.
What do you think? Thanks.
Show Topics:
1. Intensity in the Long-Term 5:45
2. Undereating 21:05
3. Robb’s Training 27:52
4. Nutrition for Elites 35:09
5. Fasting 38:57
6. Wheat vs Barley 42:48
7. Fuel for Moutainering 47:50
8. Tyrosine 51:35
9. Long-term Training 52:50
10. More Carbs in Summer? 1:09:13
Mark R-
You kick ass dude, thank you.
HA! 42!!! smh….
Gf & I been doing if a la Martin berkham, (12ish-8 eating window). I have a question Similar to a heavy cream with coffee question from episode 10 (I think), if we had a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil in the morning alongside our tea/coffee, what type of effect might that have on the fast? I don’t think it’ll screw with the fasting effects too much. By the way, just a couple of weeks into lean gains approach I very much noticed the little bits of fat below the belly button coming off more so than ever. The reason I’m looking at coconut oil addition is for it’s health benefits, and readily available energy source. Also what would you think about doing some jarrow carnit-all (extra fat movilization?) in the am with chosen caffeine source?
Thanks again!
also, primal body primal mind is a really cool talk show-in that it has one focused topic each show. diggin it, and it fills the gaps in between the days of your shows
42 Hmm, was Bob Dylan ahead of his connection to a super computer?
Robb and Andy,
Thanks for all the great info on the podcasts. I’ve plowed through all 42 in about three weeks, and I can attest that the audio quality has improved drastically since episode one. Andy doesn’t get enough credit for his great interviewing and color commentary, so … Good job, Chewie. Wouldn’t be half as much fun without you.
I have been working on transitioning my diet to the primal/paleo model since discovering Mark Sisson’s book a couple of months ago. I’m focusing on leaning out from 15-18 percent body fat to under 10, and have been losing about 2 pounds per week and generally enjoying good success.
But my question is about my wife, who was recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Our little cavekid is due in about 10 weeks, and her numbers on the 1-hour and 3-hour glucose tests were slightly elevated.
You’ve mentioned gestational diabetes in passing before, but I was hoping you could discuss it in more detail. We have a meeting with the dietician tomorrow, and I know what we’re going to hear: Eat whole grains, avoid fatty food, etc. Some of the recommendations will probably be good (i.e. lots of veggies), but others will make me want to poke my eyes out.
Specifically, I am wondering what macronutrient ratios you would recommend for someone in my wife’s situation? She’s not yet sold on the primal/paleo concept, although she agrees with some aspects of it.
Also, are you aware of any good studies that contradict the standard “fat is bad, eat lots of complex carbs” recommendations? This study seems to be along the lines of the conventional wisdom: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/79/3/479
It follows the “let’s ask people what they ate three months ago” model that caused Robb’s meltdown a couple of episodes ago… Great entertainment. 🙂
Keep up the good work, and I would appreciate anything you can throw my way.
Robb-
You mentioned in this podcast that you were consulting some olympic lifters. I would love to have you go into a painstakingly detailed explanation of what their diet looks like. I am a olympic lifting athlete and I can tell you that the dietary habits of my fellow olympic lifters are horrendous, I cannot find any good literature on tweaking your diet when you are lifting very heavy multiple days a week. My coach is second in the nation in his weight class and he lives off meal replacement shakes, crazy. Is there any staple food in your opinion that will help bounce back your nervous system and muscles after a hard workout?
Bryan-
Standard paleo + dairy has been epic. Cyclic low carbs, running hypertrophy cycles in blocks to increase muscle mass and improve body comp.
Phil Mickelson, the pro golfer, recently became a vegetarian in order to combat psoriatic arthritis. That would appear to be the exact opposite of what he should be doing (assuming grains are still a big part of his diet). Can you have your people contact his people and get him straightened out? (I don’t know why I am trying to help the guy out, since I find him unbearably smug.) Thanks.
P.S. Also see if you can help Tiger out with his love life.
John-
Sounds like Tiger has more love than he needs!
Ehayes,
I suggest doing low-bar squats exactly as Rip recommends. This really activates your posterior chain in a dynamic way since you incorporate hip drive into the ascent.
Rob,
I am really digging all the programming questions and answers. Keep it up. And thank you for giving me permission not to beat the piss out of myself several times a week. It wasn’t working for me, but it’s nice to know I’m not alone.
Matt-
thanks man, much appreciated.
Ehayes,
I have the exact same problem. I figure its due to 12 years of “bodybuilding”…
Can you post the Contreras website you referred to please? Or msg me on facebook (contact name: Demian Allik)
I’m going to start working hard at fixing this problem before I even think about trying to PR on anything,
I will search the net, if I find any interesting info relating to this topic I will let you know.
Hi Robb,
About your podcast a few weeks ago on birth control-you mention that hormonal birth control almost always screws with your metabolism and will limit the amount you can lean out. But what about non-hormonal birth control such as the Paraguard IUD (it’s the copper one). It seems relatively ideal since there are no hormones, minor side effects, and it still does it’s job damn well. I guess I’m asking whether there are things other than hormones to look out for when looking for birth control.
Thanks! And I really like “holy cats”-don’t get rid of it!
Robb and Andy,
I hope this is the right way to pose a question for the podcast.
I recently had some blood tests done as part of a physical exam. The Doc was pleased with nearly all the common health indicators (glucose 98, triglycerides 37, Cholesterol 164, HDL 52, and LDL 105) it appears however that my thyroid functions or TSH levels are high (6.05) indicating hypothyroidism. Doing some quick internet research, I recognize some of the symptoms related to this such as fatigue, memory issues etc.
Background: 43, 5’11”, 191, 17%BF. Zone/paleo phasing to straight paleo with some dairy for 6 months. Great fat/weight loss results. CF 1.5 years 5x days a week with a smart mix of strength and MEDCON.
My questions are:
-What effect did my SAD have on this or could it have been the root cause?
-What effect will the Paleo diet have on it? Could paleo eventually regulate thyroid function?
-What would be your advice for dealing with hypothyroidism before I need to start slamming horse pills for the rest of my life?
-What are some questions I should be asking when I go for my follow-up?
Thanks for all you guys do! The book is pre-ordered on Amazon. Good luck on the Book tours.
Rob
Hi, Robb. I went to wikipedia see what it said about you, but discovered there was no article on you there… yet. So, I just created one.
It’s a barebones article, for starters. Any of your readers here who see this notice can go put in any additions or corrections, of course. I’d advise, though, against any direct links to any site such as Amazon that sells the book. That’s because an admin might then delete the whole article as being merely an ad.
I didn’t see where the popularity of the podcast was rated, so I couldn’t link to that – but it would be good to have that in there.
Andy, I guess you’ll be next 🙂
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robb_Wolf
Ken-
thanks man…I have no idea about the wikki stuff. I really do not think I’m wikki-worthy :0)
Robb, about wikipedia: I had just posted the article when it became immediately tagged for “speedy deletion”.
I think the whole thing turns on the popularity of the podcast. Can you tell me where can I get verifiable figures on that?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Notability
[This post is not intended to be actually published in the comments, but I figure that you’ll see it immediately after seeing my previous one. Sorry it turned this way so quickly. Oh boy… ]
Just a quick FYI, I’ve noticed that the intro is taking more and more time while the answers are getting shorter and shorter.
Thanks for all the info.
Another rockin podcast as usual. I’m digging the programming questions as well.
Hitchiker’s Guide references now? Too awesome! You should start selling Robb Wolf towels 🙂
And the plot thickens… So we went to the dietician and I was pleasantly surprised. She recommended a fairly sensible approach–increase fat, decrease carbs to roughly 200 grams per day, eat lots of veggies and moderate fruit. The carbs are to be spread out over three meals and two or three snacks, and total caloric intake should be about 2400 calories. She did say grains are OK but should be used in extreme moderation, which I can live with.
We’ve been tracking my wife’s blood sugar, and I have been pretty surprised by the results. Her overnight fasting levels are coming in between 65 and 70, and her readings an hour after eating are averaging 75 to 80. The highest we’ve seen is a 92. Her calorie intake is only about 1700; she has trouble eating enough. (Her numbers on the 1-hour glucose test was just barely over the limit, and her 1 and 2 hour readings on the 3-hour test were in the low to low-medium range.)
She has always had significant energy swings and bouts of weakness. Prior to me going primal, her diet was fairly carb and sugar heavy, but for the past two months she’s been eating a lot more protein, fruit and veggies. She was still having some cupcakes and ice cream, but less so than in the past. She’s probably 60 or 70 percent paleo, with the main deviations coming in the form of bread and rice.
I think we’re on the right path here, but I’m trying to understand what’s going on. How do her low fasting and post-meal numbers relate to high-ish glucose test results? Is this hypoglycemia, or hyperinsulinism? It’s clear there’s some insulin wackiness here, but I don’t think it’s really diabetes.
I’m also confused about what we should do when her blood sugar is that low. Is a little shot of fruit/carbs OK to bring it up, or should we stay the course with protein and fat and let things level out over the next few weeks? I’m worried about keeping her on the high/low roller coaster. What kind of range should we be shooting for in terms of her readings? Help!
P.S. “Holy cats!” is my No. 1 favorite Robb Wolfe-ism. Don’t let the Philistines win!
Robb and Andy,
Forgive the long question, but I could really use your help. Until recently, I was very excited to buy a side of grass-fed beef, but then I came across a couple websites arguing that the benefits of grass-fed beef are totally overblown. Admittedly, the websites were EXTREMELY suspect.
Here’s one, for example: http://www.biblelife.org/beef.htm
On the downside, the author cites the bible as an authority, condemns certain people to Hell, and (worst of all) implies Dr. Cordain has some sort of hidden agenda. On the other hand, he says enough unconventional things about nutrition that I agree with to get my attention (saturated fats don’t cause heart disease and fructose is dangerous, for example).
Anyway, the claims about meat that I found the most troubling and that I had no way to refute were:
1. Although grass fed beef has more omega 3 fats than omega 6, the total amount of either of these fats is so low that it really doesn’t matter. Beef is almost all saturated fat, so you’re not going to get much of either omega 3 or omega 6 by eating beef, no matter how it’s raised. Eat some salmon and avoid nuts and vegetable oils, and you’ll be fine eating conventionally raised beef.
2. There are no antibiotics in the conventional meat one buys to eat. Although the cows are given some antibiotics, this is only on occasion, and there is a period of withdrawal before slaughter in which the cows detox. There’s no proof the antibiotics make it to the steak on the dinner table.
3. There are few pesticides in the conventional meat one buys. The cow’s liver deals with the pesticides, and they don’t make their way into the meat. There are FAR more pesticides on an apple than in any cut of conventionally raised beef.
4. Regarding salmon, although wild has more omega 3 than farmed, the difference is negligible. Both are a great source of omega 3s.
I did find some sources claiming that grass fed beef had more vitamins and antioxidants than conventionally raised beef – but again, I’m not sure how much of these things I need, nor whether the difference is great enough to affect my health.
I would love to hear your thoughts on all this. I know conventionally raised cows look pretty gross and all that – but is there really scientific evidence that I will be significantly healthier eating a diet based on grass-fed beef, as opposed to conventionally raised beef? I should note that I am only really interested in the nutritional value of the meat and my health (I’m not too concerned with saving the planet or respecting animal rights at the moment). Anyway, thanks in advance, and I can’t wait to get you book!
Hey Robb (or any of the moderators?), GR8 podcast. Wondering if you could comment on Q2 from James in this weeks podcast (competitive rower needing more energy intake):
“I can absolutely destroy a tub of nuts or almond/cashew butter–which I end up doing fairly regularly–but I really do think that hurts more than it helps. I often feel pretty terrible on workouts when I overeat on nuts, possibly from the anti-nutrients, and I know it absolutely destroys the n-6:n-3 ratio. The sheer amount of n-6s in a cup or so of almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans, etc is obscene.”
Q: Valid comment? or can we go crazy on the cashews + amonds?
This podcast answers an email I sent through on 25/26th August; so you can delete it from your inbox. 😀
I just wanted to be commenter number 42. Thanks Robb and Andy.
Rob – RE Hypothyroid.
Get this book and read it, It will answer all your questions:
http://www.thyroidbook.com/
http://drknews.com/
Follow the protocol in the book that deals with your thyroid pattern.
Get your thyroid antibodies tested.
Follow paleo – but strict gluten free.
Julianne (I have auto-immune thyroid disease)
I’m slugging a whole can of coconut milk a day everyday, any issues with this?
If a mass gain or just maintenance cals…no problem.
mainly because its incredibly delicious and I find helps ward off night time carb cravings..thanks!
Robb, quick question: I had forwarded an old NYT article about max heart rate to my boss who uses a monitor and is lately dabbling in crossfit. I said to him that unless he’s got some risk factors going on, he should probably pay more attention to how he feels than what his HRM is telling him. He answered back that since he’s adopted, his family history is essentially unknown. That got me wondering about the whole “family history of heart disease” risk factor. Is it possible since families tend to eat the same way and pass bad habits down that this is just an environmental cause disguised as a genetic one? I’m guess I know the answer to this question, but just wondering if you think there is any real “family history” aspect to heart disease aside from just a genetic vulnerability to a crap diet? thx
About the subject of find a sport you are passionate about and supplementing it in the gym.
Is the gym even desireable if you aren’t in a contact sport where achieving gains by playing the sport very often would entail much more risk than going to the gym and lifting things? If you are playing your sport, constantly supplementing with weights could lead to overtraining? Doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to both.
Lately I’ve been taking the approach of just doing my sport as much as possible and keeping up with mobility drills (asess and correct, inside-out) and foam rolling, static stretching, yoga. To stay healthy.
It’s much less stress and requires little self discipline. Am I missing out by not utilizing some lifts and working out max strength?
My only goals are to surf as much as possible as long as possible. I workout when its flat but don’t really make much progress on my lifts because as soon as the surf comes up I just do that as much as possible and am never consistent with my lifts. However I do think I see benefit from the flat-time workouts. Sometimes I do the sport so much 10 days in a row that I just need a couple days off with no physical exercise. I still want to get better at my sport, but isn’t the best way to get better to do my sport?
The concept of an off season/periodizing isn’t appealing because it’s hard to miss out on doing something you like so much for an extended period of time.
Kyle-
I don’t know but it seems pretty easy to do 3×3 DL, press, pull up one day, 3×3 SQ, dip row another day. Ubber minimalist with great caryr over. should be less than 30 min of work.
Hi Robb,
I have a 1year old boy who sleeps through the night occasionally and a 3 hour daily commute on 10 hour days. Given that I don’t get enough sleep but I eat paleo + dairy what would be a good workout protocol?
Details: Sunday night through Wednesday night I sleep ~5-6hrs. Friday I take 1 or 2 naps then 7-8 hrs Friday and Saturday night. I have a long history of over doing it and I’m nearly 30 so I’m trying to be a bit more careful now. I’m also a hard gainer. I eat ~3500-4000 calories a day on work days and probably 1/2-2/3 that on the weekends. 6’1″ and 180lbs with approximately 10-12% bodyfat.
Thanks for any insight you can provide,
Mark “The Bottorff”
Hi Robb,
My dad was recently diagnosed with a late stage follicular lymphoma and has started the standard chemotherapy treatment (CHOP). I’ve read a little about the hypothesis that a ketogenic diet can starve cancer cells, as it were, and I’m wondering if this could possibly work for this type of cancer. One concern I have is that follicular lymphoma is slow-growing, whereas I’ve read some suggestions that ketosis might work best as a treatment for aggressive, fast-growing cancers which thrive on glucose metabolism. My dad is a doctor who adheres to the low-fat, low-cholesterol approach and isn’t likely to take my advice, so I don’t want to make any suggestions to him until I’m sure I know what I’m talking about. Yes, if he had eaten paleo earlier on, he probably wouldn’t be in this mess, but now that he’s here, any comments on what he can do?
Dan
Dan-
It’s true, some cancers are more crafty and ketosis does not do much to halt progression, in some cases it may make it more aggressive. What is also clear however is ketosis offers protection to normal cells while undergoing chemo and radiation. Whether or not this ends up being beneficial in the end is tough to predict at this point. Work by Seyfried and Veech appears to be the best stuff available.
Thanks for the response rob, I guess I need to pick up the pace on my workouts. Or eliminate something. By the time I do a general warmup, some dynamic flexibility, then warmup/workup sets (as in starting strength) I am at an hour.
To the guy fasting for Ramadan- fast from crossfit too! It sounds like you need to. Take a month to recover and heal. Work on ROM and mobility.