NOTICE The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper exercise training.

All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The author advises readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your equipment is well maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and fitness. The exercise and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your doctor. As with all exercise and dietary programs, you should get your doctors approval before beginning. 2012 Chad Waterbury LLC All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author. 2

Thanks to the following guys for sharing their knowledge with me: Ori Hofmekler Dr. John Berardi

SECTION I: When More isnt Better Two Gutsy Pioneers

In the early part of the 20th century a Russian microbiologist, Dr. Elie Metchnikoff, coined the phrase "death begins in the gut." That's probably the most important statement you'll ever hear, whether you want to gain muscle, lose fat or recover faster. Metchnikoff was the first guy to figure out that an unhealthy gastrointestinal (GI) tract can have far-reaching and deleterious effects on a persons physiology. In fact, he believed that eating yogurt and similar dairy products could improve longevity by providing the gut with healthy bacteria to stave off disease. This was quite a revelation a century ago. Indeed, his views on the relationship between GI health, longevity and a strong immune system were in stark contrast to what most physiologists thought were true at the time. But Metchnikoff was right. For all his pioneering research in the field of gut bacteria he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1908. Fast-forward 94 years. In 2001, a self-taught biologist, Ori Hofmekler, released The Warrior Diet book. It consisted of a nutrition plan where 20 hours of undereating (ie, little or no food) were followed by four hours of overeating. His strategy was to eat like a peasant during the day and feast like a king at night. Ori believed that 16 or more hours of semi-fasting would detox the body and take stress off the gut. This was followed by a big meal at
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night when the gut was prepared to assimilate the nutrients for growth and repair. He believed this 24-hour cycle would cause favorable changes to a persons physiology. At the time, virtually every nutritionist was recommending a very different approach. The norm was to eat small, frequent meals throughout the day. This eat every three hours approach was thought to be a significant improvement over the three square meals that preceded it. The two biggest selling points of eating six small meals per day were purported to be better blood sugar control and a steady supply of nutrients to the body for energy and repair. If you went more than three hours without food the body would go into starvation mode and store an excessive portion of the next meal as fat. If you ate a huge meal youd end up with the same result: fat storage due to an excess of calories in one sitting. The thought of eating this huge meal at night would only make things worse - much worse. So when Ori came out with The Warrior Diet it flew smack in the face of what was considered the ideal approach to nutrition. The concept of going for long periods of time with little or no food followed by a big meal (at night!) was considered nutritional heresy. And many experts seemed to agree. I was one of those people. I didnt read The Warrior Diet when it first came out in 2001. But there was plenty of chatter about the book in my world, so I definitely

knew about it. In fact, some of my colleagues that I respected most Pavel Tsatsouline, for one had high praise for the diet. However, my clients were getting good results with small, frequent meals so I had no reason to try a different approach. I was also satisfied and accustomed to eating every three hours. A few years passed and I eventually moved to Santa Monica in 2007. As I continued to research new ways to improve my clients training and recovery through nervous system enhancement, I kept being led back to research on GI health and how it can hinder or improve the nervous system. I soon became fascinated with GI health. Specifically, I became fascinated how excessive inflammation can limit fat loss, muscle growth and recovery. This same year three studies came out that showed how fasting can reduce some the bestknown markers of inflammation such as C-reactive proteins, along with homocysteine, a cardiovascular risk factor (1,2,3). By the spring of 2010 I had accumulated enough research on intermittent fasting to give it a trial run. I felt my clients and I could use an anti-inflammatory approach to nutrition. Even though we all ate pretty clean, we also felt that are guts werent as healthy as they should have been. So I finally purchased The Warrior Diet and put Oris principles into play because I always try out a new system before giving it to any of my clients. Within three days I felt better than ever. By the third day my workouts were enhanced, most of the nagging joint pain I learned to live with was gone, and my energy and focus were at an all-time high.
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Ori was definitely on to something good with The Warrior Diet. Since his book came out there have been countless variations on his approach to nutrition, especially in recent years. Indeed, its stood the test of time. And just like Dr. Elie Metchnikoff, he ended up being a pioneer in the field of physiology. Before I outline how I design nutritional plans for muscle growth or fat loss, its important to first understand the nervous systems role in giving you those results.

The Nervous Systems Yin and Yang

The nervous system is made up of two primary parts: central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord, while the peripheral nervous system is made up of all the neurons that exit the spinal cord to control your muscles and organs. Think of the central nervous system as the commander, the peripheral nervous system as the walkie-talkie, and the muscles and organs as the troops that go into action after they receive the message. When it comes to nutrition and your ability to assimilate nutrients, a clear understanding of the peripheral nervous system is paramount. Its made up of two systems: somatic (voluntary) and autonomic (involuntary). The autonomic nervous system is mostly out of your conscious control. It regulates many involuntary actions such as heart rate,

breathing and digestion. This autonomic system is broken down into two subdivision: the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system is what gets maximally activated if you accidentally step in front of an oncoming bus. Your heart rate immediately boosts, pupils dilate, the lungs suck in more oxygen, and blood flow can increase to your muscles by up to 1200%. In other words, when the sympathetic nervous system is turned up youre ready for some serious action. This is why its called the fight or flight system. The parasympathetic nervous system has an opposite effect on many of those functions. When its activated your heart rate slows and the lungs take in less oxygen, as two examples. But whats most relevant to this discussion is the parasympathetics role in digestion and assimilation of nutrients. When this system is activated it stimulates salivary flow and movement through the GI tract. When you eat, blood flow is shuttled away from your skeletal muscles to the gut so you make use of those nutrients. This lack of blood flow to the skeletal muscles is the reason your mother told you not to swim after you eat. Because of the parasympathetic nervous systems ability to relax your body and assimilate the nutrients you eat, its referred to as the rest and digest system. Your desire to lie on the couch and watch football for hours after a big Thanksgiving dinner was not as much the tryptophan from the turkey as it was the calming rest and digest effect from the parasympathetic nervous system.
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Make the Switch

What weve covered so far are the two primary roles the sympathetic and peripheral nervous system play. The sympathetic provides the energizing fight or flight response, and the parasympathetic division has the calming rest and digest effect. So based on that information, which system would you want to have activated during the day? Which one at night? Those are easy answers, of course. You want to feel the energizing effects of the sympathetic nervous system during the day for work and training, and then be able to relax and sleep well at night when the parasympathetic division is resting and digesting. You now know that eating a meal will turn on the parasympathetics calming effect. Its why you get tired after your big lunch. So what activates the sympathetic nervous systems energyboosting effect without the need to sprint frantically from a knifewielding assailant? Fasting. You already knew this, even if you didnt realize it. Think back to the last time you got hungry and were prepared to eat but something stopped you, whether it was a work emergency or traffic jam. You wanted food, but soon after you crossed a threshold where you were no longer hungry. In fact, after another 10 minutes you felt a kind of energizing buzz. That was the sympathetic nervous system at work.

When you consider how the nervous system functions in the face of a big meal or hunger, you immediately understand why Ori recommends little or no food during the day and a big meal at night. The fasting phase is the key component of his approach. Its what makes everything else work. After all, if you added a big meal at night to a frequent eating plan youd get fat in a hurry. But you cant stop eating and expect to gain muscle. The fasting should be intermittent within each 24-hour cycle.

Intermittent Fasting
Before I took the stage to present at Perform Better in June of 2012, I watched my buddy, Dr. John Berardi, give a talk on intermittent fasting (IF). John is one of the most highly-respected nutrition experts on earth, so I was intrigued to hear him cover the potential benefits of IF: Reduced: Blood lipids (triglycerides and LDL) Blood pressure (sympathetic/parasympathetic) Inflammation (CRP, IL-6, TNF, BDNF and more) Oxidative stress (protein, lipid and DNA damage) Risk of cancer Increased: Cell turnover and repair (called autophagocytosis) Fat burning (fatty acid oxidation later in the fast) Growth hormone (increased later in the fast) Metabolic rate (later in the fast via epi/norepi)
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Improved: Appetite control (PPY and ghrelin) Blood sugar control (increased insulin sensitivity) Cardiovascular function (ischemic injury to the heart) Chemotherapy (higher doses more frequently) Neurogenesis/plasticity (neurotoxin protection) So what does all this science have to do with gaining muscle or losing fat? A lot. But first we need to go back in time.

Gut Check
Anthropologists estimate that modern humans have been around for about 200,000 years. However, its only been in the last 100 years or so that food has been more readily available. So if youve been following a frequent meal plan, and if you suspect that your gut health probably isnt up to par because of bloating, gas, fatigue, constipation, diarrhea or a laundry list of other factors, you could be feeding the GI tract more often than its designed to handle. Its easy to make the case that our guts havent evolved to withstand the stress from being crammed with food every few hours. Now consider the chemicals and additives in many of the processed foods you eat. These have only been around for 50 years or so. You might believe youre doing the gut a favor because you eat unprocessed foods; however, many of these chemicals are in the protein powders you probably use.

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Check the ingredients label on your whey protein powder. If it reads anything but whey protein concentrate, its safe to say it probably contains additives your body isnt designed to handle. Do you take a multi-vitamin? Recent research has shown no benefit in taking a daily multi when they analyzed disease and other risk factors. In fact, Dr. David Katz from the Yale University School of Medicine states, There is even a small body of evidence that may suggest harm from a multi-vitamin. Most multi-vitamins are made with isolated nutrients in a lab. Given that it wasnt until the last 50 years that we started ingesting these isolated nutrients, its no wonder our GI tract probably sees them as foreign invaders. Research supports this notion. Dr. Marian Neuhouser sums it up perfectly by stating, The vitamin C in a multivitamin is likely just not as effective as the vitamin C in a citrus fruit, where it's also surrounded by fiber and flavonoids and carotenoids. All these nutrients working together is what really keeps you healthy. However, I do recommend a daily multi-vitamin if its plantbased. This keeps the nutrients in their natural state where theyre bound to the other nutrients that support assimilation. Ill get to that in the supplement section. In summary, if youre eating frequently or ingesting nutrients that your body sees as foreign invaders, you might be doing your body more harm than good. As you now know, the gut has far-reaching effects, just like Dr. Metchnikoff discovered.
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SECTION II: The Waterbury Diet Building on The Warrior Diet

Ive already discussed why I became a fan of The Warrior Diet. That diet, and the research I did leading up to it, made me realize that for lean muscle growth and faster recovery you must respect the gut. When its unhealthy, its tough to build muscle and train more often. How do you know if your gut isnt as healthy as it should be? You could do a myriad of tests from your doctor to analyze stool samples, and all that fun stuff. Or you could just trust me. If you have problems with gas, bloating, indigestion, fatigue, muscle growth, and recovery, its safe to assume that your gut could use some help. Specifically, it could use a break. Thats why the Waterbury Diet is based on infrequent meals. Now, no one ever grew bigger muscles by going 20 hours without any nutrients. The main reason such an extended time without food can waste muscle is because the body is looking for amino acids for protein synthesis. In the past, bodybuilders would ingest whey protein between meals, or every few hours, to provide a constant flow of amino acids into the body. But research shows that less frequent protein intake is actually more effective at boosting protein synthesis. So lets build on the original plan popularized by Ori Hofmekler where he recommends a 20-hour fast followed by a four-hour feeding window.

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During that 20-hour period youll have two servings of whey protein. The fast lowers circulating levels of amino acids, and then 2030 grams of whey quickly increases those levels due to its fast absorption rate. This pulse of amino acids is an excellent way to increase protein synthesis. Since other protein powders such as casein or a whey-casein blend can absorb more slowly, theyre not the best option. Even if a casein has been hydrolyzed to absorb more quickly, I still favor whey because it contains natural immune-boosting enzymes that casein cant match. Whey also contains the greatest proportion of branched chain amino acids, especially leucine, in a natural form. The key is to use a high-quality organic whey that only reads whey protein concentrate on the label. Now, the Waterbury Diet isnt just two pulses of whey during the day followed by a big meal at night thats essentially The Warrior Diet. Every other day youll eat two meals instead of one. When I heard Dr. Berardi speak on intermittent fasting he outlined the nutrition plan he was following at the time. It consisted of a 16-hour fast followed by two meals within an eight-hour period. I was intrigued by the approach (you cant argue with his results), so I started cycling my clients diets between one and two meals per day. The most substantial benefit was muscle gain. The latest version of the Waterbury Diet was born. Lets go over the details.

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Waterbury Diet Overview

When fast muscle growth is the goal, the Waterbury Diet alternates between the Warrior-style approach Ori Hofmekler made famous along with the two-meals-per-day plan John Berardi covered in his seminar. This is the bare-bones structure of the Waterbury Diet: Day 1: a 20-hour fast with two pulses of whey followed by a four-hour feeding window. Day 2: a 16-hour fast followed by two meals within an eight-hour period. From here, the timing of your training, protein pulses, and meals can have a significant impact on muscle growth. Before I get to the outline of the Waterbury Diet, Ill discuss your meals. First, theres no counting of calories, protein, carbs, or fat on this plan. Youll eat until youre completely satisfied at each meal. The only guidelines I give relate to the cycling of carbohydrates and the balance of food on your plate. Youll either eat protein/vegetables/carbs or protein/vegetables/fat at each meal. Protein: the norm is to recommend one gram per pound of lean body mass. So a 200-pound guy with 12% body fat would eat 176 grams of protein each day. Ive found that its not necessary to eat that much protein on this plan, probably because your body can make better use of what you give it. Periods of fasting followed by quality protein intake

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have shown to be a more effective way to gain muscle. As long as youre within 75% of that number youll build muscle. The results my clients have achieved demonstrate that you can eat fewer total grams of protein per day and build plenty of muscle, if you have at least 16 hours of fasting each day with pulses of whey protein.
Ideal protein sources: wild fish, organic chicken, organic turkey, whole

eggs, buffalo/bison, grass-finished beef, raw cheese, and organic whey. I prefer my clients to limit red meat to twice per week since it can cause a pro-inflammatory response. Carbohydrates: a low-carb approach to nutrition has been the trend ever since Dr. Atkins brought his diet to the world. Theres good reason why that diet gained some much traction: the world is full of fat people who generally need fewer carbs. But when you need to build muscle fast, an extremely low-carb diet will make the task much more difficult. Thats why this version of the Waterbury Diet for muscle growth favors carbohydrates. If you stick to unprocessed carbs youll build lean muscle more quickly. Fruit juices are not recommended except for organic tart cherry juice postworkout. All other carbs should be limited to the following list.
Ideal carbohydrate sources: sweet potatoes/yams, quinoa, oatmeal,

fresh fruit, white rice, brown rice, white potatoes, and organic tart cherry juice.

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Vegetables: some people might categorize vegetables under carbohydrates, but they deserve a section of their own. For starters, theres no such thing as an bad vegetable, as Dr. Jonny Bowden likes to say. They contain tons of nutrients that support protein digestion, recovery, and energy. Another benefit of vegetables is that its virtually impossible to overeat them.
Ideal vegetables: theyre all great but some that should be prioritized

are: asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, kale, onions, and spinach. Fats: eating enough healthy fat is essential for supporting the hormones that build muscle. Youll get a good dose of healthy fats from the protein sources I mention (nothing beats wild fish), but its also important to add the following foods to your protein/vegetables/fat meal.
Ideal fat sources: nuts, seeds, avocado, raw cheese, extra virgin olive

oil, coconut oil, and any oil made from nuts (except peanuts). Dairy: Im not a big fan of most dairy products because I believe our guts havent evolved to withstand them. However, fresh dairy can contain a healthy dose of calcium thats necessary for metabolic health. If you dont experience any gas, bloating or indigestion, certain dairy products such as greek yogurt, raw milk, and cottage cheese can help you build lean muscle. These foods can be added to your protein/vegetables/carbohydrate meals.

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Supplements
The following is a list of the specific supplements I recommend, and a few others worth considering. Defense Nutritions Organic Warrior Whey: Adding whey protein to your nutrition plan will significantly improve muscle growth. One of the main reasons is because it has the highest PDCAAS rating of all proteins (that acronym stands for protein digestibility corrected amino acid score). But most of the whey proteins out there are garbage. They either contain added chemicals or their form has been changed to an isolate or hydrolysate. What you need is a whey protein concentrate because it contains all the naturally-occurring enzymes and immunofactors to build muscle and speed recovery. Defense Nutrition makes the best organic whey protein on the market. Its not only the highest-quality version Ive found, but it tastes rich and creamy. With your first drink youll realize how chemicallyladen those other protein powders taste.
Where to get it? Go to the Defense Nutrition page at this link.

Defense Nutrition Multi-vitamin/mineral: I used to take a multivitamin every day for years. Then I stopped and I felt better. What I didnt appreciate at the time was the fact that those vitamins werent in their natural form and bound to the other nutrients and enzymes that

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allows your gut to assimilate the nutrients. My gut probably considered them foreign invaders. Then Ori Hofmekler came along and created a plant-based multivitamin/mineral supplement. Since my clients and I started taking it two years ago, our workouts, recovery, and health have improved. I recommend you take it first thing each morning. Since its plant-based your body will recognize it as a food so you can take it on an empty stomach.
Where to get it? Go to the Defense Nutrition page at this link.

Ionic Liquid Magnesium: The function of your nervous system, muscle, and metabolism rely heavily on magnesium. In fact, magnesium contributes to over 300 biological processes in your body. But there are two problems. First, most people are deficient in magnesium. Second, your body cant assimilate magnesium from most of the supplements out there. In other words, an effective delivery system is necessary to get magnesium from your gut to your tissues. Ive used various forms of high-quality magnesium over the years such as the spray version from Ancient Minerals thats applied to your skin. But a spray can sometimes be a sticky mess. The version I currently favor is made by Mineralife. This product is bound to 72 other naturally-occurring trace minerals so it assimilates well. And since its in liquid form it can be put in water at night before bed.
Where to get it? Go to their magnesium page at this link.
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Day 1 Nutrition Plan for Muscle (afternoon/evening training)

Plan: 20-hour fast/4-hour feed Meal: protein/vegetables/carbs (PVC)
As soon as you wake up (7am): chew a palmful of fresh parsley or

cilantro to neutralize morning acidity. Take 4 Defense Nutrition multivitamins with a full glass of water.
Mid-morning (10am): drink 1-2 scoops of Organic Warrior Whey

mixed in water. If youre doing a Targeted HFT plan, drink this protein immediately after your mini-workout. drink 1-2 scoops of Organic Warrior Whey mixed in water if its a day you dont train. If you do train, drink 1 scoop of Organic Warrior Whey in water 15-20 minutes before your full-body HFT workout. If youre doing a Targeted HFT plan, put that mini-session at the beginning of your workout.
Mid-afternoon (somewhere between 3-5pm): Post-workout: drink 2 scoops of Organic Warrior Whey mixed with 6

ounces of tart cherry juice and 6 ounces of water. You can add 5 grams of creatine to the drink.
PVC Dinner (within 90 minutes of post-workout drink): eat all the

protein, vegetables, and carbs you want. Have fruit for dessert. Take fish oil with this meal. After the meal you can eat again if its within the four-hour window.
Before bed: take magnesium How to Modify for Fat Loss: First, mix two tablespoons of ground chia

seeds in water and drink 20-30 minutes before dinner (drink it fast because itll gel quickly). Second, alternate between a PVC dinner and a PVF dinner for this day. So days 1, 5 and 9 will have carbs and days 3 and 7 wont. Also, take Defense Nutritions Tenacious Fat Loss vitamins in the morning on an empty stomach. Get them at this link.

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Day 1 Nutrition Plan for Muscle (morning training)

Plan: 20-hour fast/4-hour feed Meal: protein/vegetables/carbs (PVC)
As soon as you wake up: chew a palmful of fresh parsley or cilantro to

neutralize morning acidity. Take 4 Defense Nutrition multi-vitamins with a full glass of water.
15-20 minutes before morning workout: drink 1 scoop of Organic

Warrior Whey mixed in water.

Post-workout: drink 2 scoops of Organic Warrior Whey mixed with 6

ounces of tart cherry juice and 6 ounces of water. You can add 5 grams of creatine to the drink.
Mid-afternoon (somewhere between 3-5pm): drink 1-2 scoops of

Organic Warrior Whey mixed in water if its a day you dont train. If youre doing a Targeted HFT plan, take the protein immediately after your mini-workout.
PVC Dinner: eat all the protein, vegetables, and carbs you want. Have

fruit for dessert. Take fish oil with this meal. After the meal you can eat again if its within the four-hour window.
Before bed: take magnesium How to Modify for Fat Loss: First, mix two tablespoons of ground chia

seeds in water and drink 20-30 minutes before dinner (drink it fast because itll gel quickly). Second, alternate between a PVC dinner and a PVF dinner for this day. So days 1, 5 and 9 will have carbs and days 3 and 7 wont. Also, take Defense Nutritions Tenacious Fat Loss vitamins in the morning on an empty stomach. Get them at this link.

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Day 2 Nutrition Plan for Muscle (afternoon/evening training)

Plan: 16-hour fast/8-hour feed Meal 1: protein/vegetables/fat (PVF) Meal 2: protein/vegetables/carbs (PVC)
As soon as you wake up (7am): chew a palmful of fresh parsley or

cilantro to neutralize morning acidity. Take 4 Defense Nutrition multivitamins with a full glass of water.
Mid-morning (10am): drink 1-2 scoops of Organic Warrior Whey

mixed in water. If youre doing a Targeted HFT plan, drink this protein immediately after your mini-workout.
PVF Lunch: eat all the protein, vegetables, and fat you want. 15-20 minutes before workout: drink 1 scoop of Organic Warrior

Whey in water 15-20 minutes before your full-body HFT workout. If youre doing a Targeted HFT plan, put that mini-session at the beginning of your full-body workout.
Post-workout: drink 2 scoops of Organic Warrior Whey mixed with 6

ounces of tart cherry juice and 6 ounces of water. You can add 5 grams of creatine to the drink.
PVC Dinner (within 90 minutes of post-workout drink): eat all the

protein, vegetables, and carbs you want. Have fruit for dessert. Take fish oil with this meal. After the meal you can eat again if its within the four-hour window.
Before bed: take magnesium How to Modify for Fat Loss: First, mix two tablespoons of ground chia

seeds in water and drink 20-30 minutes before each meal (drink it fast because itll gel quickly). Second, take Defense Nutritions Tenacious Fat Loss vitamins in the morning on an empty stomach. Get them at this link.

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Day 2 Nutrition Plan for Muscle (morning training)

Plan: 16-hour fast/8-hour feed Meal 1: protein/vegetables/fat (PVF) Meal 2: protein/vegetables/carbs (PVC)
As soon as you wake up: chew a palmful of fresh parsley or cilantro to

neutralize morning acidity. Take 4 Defense Nutrition multi-vitamins with a full glass of water.
15-20 minutes before morning workout: drink 1 scoop of Organic

Warrior Whey mixed in water.

Post-workout: drink 2 scoops of Organic Warrior Whey mixed with 6

ounces of tart cherry juice and 6 ounces of water. You can add 5 grams of creatine to the drink.
PVF Lunch: eat all the protein, vegetables, and fat sources you want. Mid-afternoon (somewhere between 3-5pm): drink 1-2 scoops of

Organic Warrior Whey mixed in water if its a day you dont train. If youre doing a Targeted HFT plan, take the protein immediately after your mini-workout.
PVC Dinner: eat all the protein, vegetables, and carbs you want. Have

fruit for dessert. Take fish oil with this meal. After the meal you can eat again if its within the four-hour window.
Before bed: take magnesium How to Modify for Fat Loss: First, mix two tablespoons of ground chia

seeds in water and drink 20-30 minutes before each meal (drink it fast because itll gel quickly). Second, take Defense Nutritions Tenacious Fat Loss vitamins in the morning on an empty stomach. Get them at this link.

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Q: What if I get extremely hungry during the fast? Is there anything I can eat? A: Yes, youre free to eat a handful of berries (any variety) or juice vegetables for their enzyme-boosting properties. Hunger will subside, but extreme hunger is probably due to a lack of nutrients. Choose berries or a fresh vegetable juice concoction (not V-8) and youll provide your body with the most nutrients with the fewest calories. Q: Can I use branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) during the day instead of whey? A: Some people have an intolerance to whey, even if its a high- quality version. For them, BCAAs are a viable option. However, BCAAs are free-form amino acids that arent bound to the other nutrients and enzymes like they are in whey. So its possible your body wont make use of the BCAAs nearly as well. If you choose BCAAs, take five grams worth in place of whey protein. Q: Im allergic to any form of dairy or whey. Can I use a vegan protein powder instead? A: Yes. The key is to supplement the protein powder with enough BCAAs to match whey. Each 20-gram serving of whey contains five grams of BCAAs you ll need to make up the difference with BCAA pills or powders.
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Q: Can I have my big meal in the morning and fast the rest of the day, or move the structure of the plan to different times? A: Theoretically, you can derive all the benefits of this style of eating no matter where your fasting and feeding phases are. However, if you have a big meal in the morning it will turn on the parasympathetics rest and digest response and youll be sluggish. Q: Should I supplement with Vitamin D? A: My views on supplementing vitamin D have shifted recently. Ive found no real benefit in having my clients take it, no matter how high the dosage. My advice is to get as much sun as you can. Thats how you naturally boost vitamin D, with the added benefit of enhancing CNS health. If youre worried about a sunburn, take 8mg of astaxanthin that day. Itll do wonders for preventing a sunburn. But if you cant ever get to the sun, see if vitamin D helps you feel better. Q: How much water should I drink? Can I have coffee or tea? A: Your urine should always be clear. If its not, you need more water. Black coffee and unsweetened black, green, or white tea can be part of this nutrition plan. Just go easy on the coffee.
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References
1. Gjedsted J, et al. (2007) Effects of a 3-day fast on regional lipid and glucose metabolism in human skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Acta Physiol 191: 205-216. 2. Johnstone AM. (2007) Fasting - the ultimate diet? Obesity Reviews 8: 211-222. 3. Aksungar FB, et al. (2007) Interleukin-6, C-Reactive Protein and Biochemical Parameters during Prolonged Intermittent Fasting. Ann Nutr Metab 51: 88-95.

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