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Black Ops

MacroFlex
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Copyright 2014 SpecForce Alpha - All Rights Reserved
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Notice
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The information presented is not intended for the treatment or prevention of
disease, nor a substitute for medical treatment, nor as an alternative to medical
advice.
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This publication is presented for information purposes, to increase the public
knowledge of developments in the field of supplements.
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The program outlined herein should not be adopted without a consultation with
your health professional.
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Copyright
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2014 SpecForce Alpha
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All rights reserved. Nothing can be taken from this E-book without written
consent.
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For questions and comments send all e-mails to:
support@SpecForceAlpha.com
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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
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INTRODUCTION page 4
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CHAPTER 1
Macros page 11
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CHAPTER 2
The Big Three page 15
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CHAPTER 3
The Flex Eating Plan page 39
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CHAPTER 4
Smart Shopping page 45
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INTRODUCTION

The demands imposed by Spec Force Operator Training and Tactical Operator
Training and the missions in which Operators participate are not like any typical
athletic sport. The Spec Force and Tactical Athlete requires the recruitment of
both strength and endurance both physically and mentally.!
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In the world of high performance, as a Spec Force Operator, you are at the the
top of the food chain. You are an Alpha. In order to perform as an Alpha you
must maintain appropriate nutritional habits and fuel effectively for performance.!
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In simple terms, you must be able to properly balance your energy needs with
the imposed demands of your day which includes your training.!
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Knowing your energy expenditure in advance allows you to properly assess your
fuelling needs at any given time. !
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When you are working toward achieving the Alpha Shape you need to
understand what Macro Nutrients are, the role they play in your fuelling process
and how to manipulate them properly to achieve the look you want while making
sure you can perform when required. !
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In order to do this we created the MacroFlex Diet which enables you to use
your macros to fuel in way that you can remain in compliance with your energy
needs by properly utilizing the foods you may already be eating.!

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Beating body fat and transforming you is at the core of what we are working
toward in this program. Failing to eliminate body fat can be a problem on the road
to change, as much as failing to add lean muscle can also be a problem. These
are problems that can slow you down, make you unhealthy, keep you from
achieving the Alpha Shape, and potentially even kill you. Yes, fat is an ongoing
problem unless you deal with it. You may recognize that, and perhaps that is
why you have joined us. It is possible to win the war on fat and add lean muscle,
but it is important to know what you are doing and it has to be done in a way in
which you will remain compliant. This is precisely what we are going to do.!
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Lifestyle !
To be successful at fat loss and creating a lean muscular body, you have to have
a broader perspective than the one most commonly held by people trying to
transform. You have to do something that others are not. Why? Because others
are failing. !
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One thing is for absolute certain You must eat to survive, yet Diets are
particularly prone to failure. Traci Mann, UCLA Associate Professor of
Psychology and lead author of a key study on weight loss, points out:!
"You can initially lose 5 to 10 percent of your weight on any number of
diets, but then the weight comes back. We found that the majority of
people regained all the weight, plus more. . . Diets do not lead to sustained
weight loss or health benefits for the majority of people."1!

1 American Psychologist, April 2007, noted at http://www.physorg.com/news94906931.html

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This can be doubly discouraging the fact that most people regain the weight
they lose, plus adding back some extra weight they didnt have previously. Just
losing some weight may not be enough at all. You may have lost weight in the
past but have gained it back. Thats defined as mission fail. And there is a big
difference between long term and short term fat loss. Anyone can achieve some
level of brief fat loss, but to make it stick takes more. Geneva M. Edwards, RN,
MD, MS, MHSA, points out:!
Diets that promise a weight loss more than 2 pounds per week are the
pitfall to people gaining weight back. The faster you lose the weight, the
more likely your chances are of gaining that weight back. This loss and
gain of weight is called diet cycling, also known as yo-yo dieting. The
reason this happens is because of homeostasis, the body's defense to
maintain an equal energy balance in the body. Diet cycling is unhealthy. In
fact, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in
Seattle Washington have conducted studies with findings indicating that
here is a link between diet cycling and a weakened immune system.2!
The yo-yo diet is a huge hurdle for most people to get over and causes further
problems down the road. One of the
The faster you lose the weight, biggest pieces of collateral damage
the more likely your chances are
from diet cycling is discouragement.
of gaining that weight back. This
loss and gain of weight is called But you dont have to be discouraged.
diet cycling, also known as yo-yo There is a smart approach to losing
dieting
fat that makes all the difference. You
can not only lose that weight, you can
keep it off. You dont have to fall into the yo-yo effects from the short term dieting

2 http://patient-health-education.suite101.com/article.cfm/losing_weight_to_gain_it_back

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syndrome that the masses stumble over. But to do so you need a premium
training approach, a Black Ops type of style that is different from what the crowd
of wannabes and dreamers and BiTBOs does (pronounced bitbo which stands
for Big Talker Backer Outter) They never get anything done and constantly run
their mouths. !
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You dont want mainstream style producing mainstream results. You need a
lifestyle change. And you need to get out of the short term syndrome that haunts
the majority of people who try to lose fat and build lean muscle. !
The good news is that there is a way to build a lifestyle that naturally keeps you
lean and muscular. It is the SpecForce Operator lifestyle and Body without the
punishing rigour of being deployed or training 24/7.!
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Flex!
One of the main reasons many plans fail is the rigidity of the approach. The
approach is an either/or set up, where you either do it or you do not. But eating
doesnt have to be that way. Flexibility can be built into an approach that enables
a much wider range of possibilities an extremely high level of success and easy
compliance. Thats rightflexible nutrition that produces results. !
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Your nutrition is a collared flexibility for the best results. That is, you have
flexibility, but within a certain range. You dont want to stray into areas that defeat
what you are aiming at attaining. Now to be consistent, it is possible when
maintaining a macro-balance to eat absolutely whatever you want however there
are serious issues with the hormonal affect of eating poorly which cannot be
overlooked. !
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Flexibility also extends beyond nutrition as well, to include all the tools necessary
to get lean muscular and vascular. !
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Tools for Success!
We are taking an aggregate approach to your success. Nutrition and building
lean muscle mass is certainly at the center of this approach and one of the main
elements but it is not the only tool. If you simply place all your hopes on either
just your training or just your nutrition, you wont quite get there. To reach your
full potential, you need to use all the tools in the toolbox. !
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Nutrition is the biggest tool, but when you use the others as well you get that
super beneficial synergistic effect that will take you where you to the level you
want to achieve you will earn the Alpha Shape. !
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Black Ops MacroFlex focuses on nutrition but also includes a look at those
other tools to round out the full compliment of what you need to beat fat, get lean
and create the body that signals to both women and men that you are an Alpha. !
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Implementing Black Ops MacroFlex system will put you on the path to getting
lean and staying that way. Lets take a quick look at some of the intangible tools
that are at the foundation of all successful transformations. !
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Commitment
one key to your success is your commitment. Commitment to changing your
lifestyle, particularly in what you eat to a lesser degree but more specially how
you eat. Dont panic, this doesnt mean you cant eat well and still enjoy some of
your favourite MAN STAPLES. Make no mistake, I like to have a plate of wings
with a pint or two of beer and I still maintain a six pack because I use my own
system.!
In fact you will find out that eating smart and in the way we are going to outline, it
not only benefits your body, but it actually tastes good really good. If you
implement the Black Ops MacroFlex nutritional system with a commitment to
make it beyond the month or two that most weak minded individuals only survive,
you will realize super benefits that turn into long-term life-time gains.!
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Why Not Now?
So why not you? And why not now? Look, there isnt a better time to get started
than right now. Because you are reading this, you have absolutely every tool
imaginable at your disposal, necessary for achieving the Alpha Shape. What I
am asking you to do is make a commitment to yourself. !
We have made it exceptionally easy on you, to the extent that you can eat
whatever you like providing you follow our very simple guidelines and use the
MacroFlex App to guide you.!
The only thing that would make it easier is if I personally came to your place,
shopped for your groceries and fed youthats not gonna happen. So we had
the app built instead, which is as close as you will get. Your responsibility is to

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commit and undertake this endeavour with a desire to achieve unlike anything
you have ever pursued in your life.!
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Now is the time my friend. Together we will build your body and you will realize all
the benefits of the Alpha Shape
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Chapter One
Focused On Macros

Would you like to take immediate control of your nutrition? Do you want to know
how to get right to the bottom line on what works and what doesnt? The Black
Ops MacroFlex approach zeros in immediately on what matters and skips the
the confusing peripheral garbage that contributes nothing. There is no need to
waste time on focusing on things that really dont matter that much. !
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What does matter the most are the macro nutrients. Dial in your macro nutrients
properly and you have control of your nutrition and fuelling your body, and the
results of your diet as well. You dont need to know a thousand different trivial
facts about food you just need to be able to focus on the majors and have a
little understanding of the micros (micronutrients) as well. !
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Too often the fad diets cause people to get caught up in the minutia, getting
sidetracked into areas that wont really make all that much difference anyway.
For controlling your diet and making it do what you want it to do which is remove
fat and prevent any more fat from accumulating, you simply need to focus on the
macro nutrients and get the micros covered as well. !
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The more flexible the nutrition plan the higher likelihood there is of compliance.
So to make it easy we have drilled it down to 3 primary macro inputs which you
can easily control and which can be manipulated to alter results. !
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Three Controls!
Surprisingly, you can basically control your entire system by controlling three
nutrients. Controlling these three macronutrients enables you to dictate your
results, period. Instead of trying to figure out hundreds of different inputs, merely
taking charge of these three macro nutrients will do the trick. A great nutrition
plan doesnt have to be fancy, it just needs to be smart.!
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Macros!
The three macros we are going to control are protein, fats and carbohydrates, the
macronutrients that the body needs on a daily basis to renew itself and survive.
And these are all essential for the body totally removing any from the diet will
have dire consequences. !
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Why macronutrients? Your body is rebuilding itself daily. It isnt static like a
mannequin, but rather living and changing literally daily. And what you eat is what
it uses to rebuild. So what you eat matters. The computer adage of garbage in,
garbage out is also true for the body. If you eat a lot of junk food, your body will
turn into junk. Scientifically speaking, you can lose weight eating junk food but
your body will be a hormonal time bomb putting you at risk. Remember we are
not just dropping pounds. We are building a foundation on smart principles. If you
eat good food, your body will benefit from it.!
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Since your body isnt static, what you eat on a daily basis does make a
difference. But you dont need to get overly analytical about it. By targeting the

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macronutrients you can control the key factors that facilitate muscle growth and
preventing body fat from accumulating. !
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To reiterate we are going to focus on only three macronutrients protein, fat and
carbohydrates. Nail these and you are more than halfway home. !

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Micros Matter Too!
The micronutrients matter as well. Some dietary fads ignore the importance of
the micronutrients but thats a mistake. Why? This is going to sound familiar
WHAT you eat does matter. It is true that calories are a major element in
determining how much fat you put on or avoid putting on, but what those calories
consist of does matter. !
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Density or Deficient?!
The density of a food is crucial to how that food affects the body. For this reason
diets that only count calories get it wrong. A food can be either nutrient dense
(full of good things) or caloric dense and nutrient deficient and there is a huge
difference between the two. What is in the calories matters. So too what the
macros are made up of, the micros, also matters.!
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To understand how this works, lets explore the argument to its extreme. Some
people say you can eat whatever you want as long as you have a certain amount
of calories and no more and all is cool, in fact it has been scientifically proven.
Well not so fast. If you were to eat a food that consisted solely of high fructose

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corn syrup, you would become fat and sickly no matter what calorie amount you
ate. !
Lets look at a food item like bread. If you based your entire diet on white bread,
you would also eventually become sickly and your body would start to fall apart.
By comparison it would take longer for your body to shut down than it would for
someone on a high fructose corn syrup diet, but you would definitely impair your
body with this diet. !
And you can take this one step further. For instance, eat good food but remove
one necessary element. Vitamin C, for instance. The result? Scurvy and other
diseases sprout up in the body. So yes, technically speaking you may trim off
some fat, but what does that matter if your body gets a wasting disease? What
you eat does matter, and both the macronutrients and micronutrients to count. !
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The Black Ops MacroFlex system suggests the right micronutrients in the
right macronutrients, and the result is a dietary process that provides the right
calories with the right nutrients. It is quite simple use the macro nutrients to
keep the calories in check and use the micronutrients to ensure you have the
wide range of nutrients needed to stay healthy. It is the smart way to eat and a
nutritional approach that you can use for the long term, incorporating into your
lifestyle. This is how you will earn your Alpha Shape and easily keep it for the rest
of your life.!
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Chapter Two
The Big Three Macros

As outlined the big three in the nutrient world are protein, fat and carbohydrates,
and they are essential elements more necessary than anything else besides air
and water. But as important as they are, many people dont know that much
about them. Lets touch on them to ensure you have an understanding of their
role and function in your nutritional plan.!
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The Power of Protein!
All of the macronutrients are essential, meaning your body needs them and falls
apart without them. However, protein stands out among the three. Its very name
provides a clue to its potency and value. The word protein comes from the Late
Greek prteios, meaning of the first quality, or even more basic, the Greek
prtos, first. Protein is of top importance. !
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Protein is the bodys prime building block for building up your body. Thats why
bodybuilders focus so much attention on protein it is how the body is
constructed. It is not the only component, and it requires other elements, but it is
without question the central building block of the human body. !
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Protein is the main player in building the muscles and is very active metabolically.
Protein is a double-edged sword it is active in the body and it builds the
muscles which are even more active. Muscle is 900 percent more metabolically

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active, even when resting, than is fat. So protein starts this process and keeps
those hot burning muscles going. !
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Amino acids are the basic building structure of protein. In the body, amino acids
are attached together to form protein. For the human body, the key amino acids
are the essential amino acids. Georgia State Universitys Hyperphysics points
out:!
Amino acids are organic compounds which contain both an amino group

and a carboxyl group. According to Tillery, et al., the human body can

synthesize all of the amino acids necessary to build proteins except for the

ten called the "essential amino acids". Humans . . . do not have all the

enzymes required for the biosynthesis of all of the amino acids." The

failure to obtain enough of even 1 of the 10 essential amino acids has

serious health implications and can result in degradation of the body's

proteins. Muscle and other protein structures may be dismantled to obtain

the one amino acid that is needed. "Unlike fat and starch, the human body

does not store excess amino acids for later use - the amino acids must be

in the food every day."3!

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3 http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/HBASE/Organic/essam.html

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Necessity of Nitrogen Balance!

Those amino acids must be in the food every day to keep the body in positive
nitrogen balance:!
Because the muscles hold the greatest reserve of amino acids in the body,
if falls or accidents do occur, a negative nitrogen balance can be created
from the muscles to assist in the healing process. If the amino acids are
not replaced through diet, a loss of muscle mass occurs, which results in
further strength loss and disability. If muscle wasting continues, recovery
from acute diseases, injury or surgery may be compromised.4!
Building muscle and protein intake are directly related. Get the protein intake
wrong and your muscles suffer. Protein is the key ingredient and absolutely vital
for growth in the human body. This means the highest quality protein, all of the
essential amino acids in the best possible protein. !
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Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z (online) provides a good overview on !
! quality protein:!
The quality of protein depends on the level at which it provides the
nutritional amounts of essential amino acids needed for overall body
health, maintenance, and growth. Animal proteins, such as eggs, cheese,
milk, meat, and fish, are considered high-quality, or complete, proteins
because they provide sufficient amounts of the essential amino acids.
Plant proteins, such as grain, corn, nuts, vegetables and fruits, are lower-

4 Willardson, Jeffrey, and Tudor-Locke, Catrine. Survival of the Strongest: A Brief Review Examining the
Association Between Muscular Fitness and Mortality. Strength and Conditioning Journal. June 2005. p. 83
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 quality, or incomplete, proteins because many plant proteins lack one or
more of the essential amino acids, or because they lack a proper balance
of amino acids. Incomplete proteins can, however, be combined to provide
all the essential amino acids, though combinations of incomplete proteins
must be consumed at the same time, or within a short period of time
(within four hours), to obtain the maximum nutritive value from the amino
acids. Such combination diets generally yield a high-quality protein meal,
providing sufficient amounts and proper balance of the essential amino
acids needed by the body to function.5!
The protein you eat should be of the very highest quality protein that contains
all of the essential amino acids. Arnold Schwarzenegger points out that the
highest quality proteins come from animal sources eggs, fish, poultry, meat and
dairy products. And he is correct on that point. Arnold puts the egg first, and the
egg has the highest biological value a perfect rating. Thats what you want to
check your protein against biological value. The rule of thumb is that if you
want to build up your muscles, eat a lot of eggs (which you will see if you are
using the Alpha Meal Plan). Yes, many supplement companies tout whey or
other protein derivatives, but there has been some controversy about how well its
protein actually does work compared to eggs and whole milk. Eggs have the
advantage of coming in au natural form, which includes the natural amino acid
profile as well as integration with the fat in the egg. Thats right fat. !
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Protein needs fat to be digested and processed properly. Eating lots of protein
without a corresponding intake of necessary and good fat to buffer that
protein will just result in expensive urine and place unnecessary excess

5 http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Pre-Sma/Protein.html

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demand on the kidneys and liver. Protein needs fat to make it stick to the
body. Getting your protein along with some (not a lot) of fat is smart eating and
one reason that eggs are such a good choice. When eating another top high
protein choice tuna include a bit of quality fat in the meal. When in a muscle
growth stage fat is a necessity and eggs are the prime source for integrated
protein and fat. !
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Many who embark on a trimming routine, for instance, start focusing too narrowly
on just dropping calories and weight and miss the idea that protein is more
important than ever. Protein is always vital and should always be taken into
consideration in every meal. Protein is our primary building block and it is at the
top of the list.!
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Top Protein Sources!
Eggs
Milk!
Fish cod, red snapper, salmon, sole, tuna, halibut and tilapia!
Turkey, Chicken!
Dairy products cheese, yoghurt, cottage cheese!
Beef, lamb, pork!
Shrimp, scallops, lobster, crab!
Bison!
Brewers Yeast, Hemp seed!
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Use other sources of protein (such as that in bread, beans, etc.) as
complimentary and not as prime sources. The sources listed be the ones you
draw your protein from.!
How much? If you are trying to build muscle, then you wan .7 to 1 gram of protein
per pound of bodyweight. If you are just trying to maintain muscle you can go as
low as .5 grams per pound of bodyweight. So your protein intake should range
from .5 up to 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. Go below that .5 gram per pound
and it makes it much more difficult to maintain your muscle. More protein jacks
up your metabolic rate as well, so you arent doing yourself any favors if you
skimp on the protein. It is the king of the macronutrients. !
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Fat More Friend than Foe!
Fat has the unique characteristic of being potentially a friend or foe to your diet.
And fat has to be treated with respect due to its potency. Fats power doesnt lie
in its amino load like protein but in its density. Fat is full of calories. Fat contains
225 percent more calories than does either protein or carbohydrates (10 grams
of fat contains 90 calories whereas 10 grams of carbs or protein contain just 40
calories). So you want to handle fat intake carefully because of its large calorie
potential. The danger in fat is not inherent in its nutrient elements but in its high
caloric content. No need to panic however because the MacroFlex App dials in all
of your macros based on what you are trying to achieve!
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Fats heavy calorie content doesnt mean you want to avoid it, however. Many
people go out of their way to minimize fat intake or try to avoid it altogether.
Thats unhealthy because fat is essential for keeping the body running at top
condition. Fat contains essential elements that other nutrients dont so you need
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fat. Have you heard of essential fatty acids? The essential part means you
have to have it.!
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There are five basic types of fat:!
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Natural fats!
Saturated fat!
Polyunsaturated fat!
Monounsaturated fat!
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Artificial fats!
Trans fat!
Interesterified fat!
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Artificial Fats!
The breakdown of the different types of fat directs you toward the fat you want to
include in your diet and the fat you want to avoid. Artificial fat is bad for the body
and can cause serious health issues if you ingest it consistently. Indeed, some
doctors have advised avoiding fats like trans fat and interesterified fat altogether.!
"Diets rich in trans fat cause a redistribution of fat tissue into the abdomen
and lead to a higher body weight even when the total dietary calories are
controlled," said Lawrence L. Rudel, Ph.D., professor of pathology and
biochemistry and head of the Lipid Sciences Research Program.6!

6 2006 Wake Forest University School of Medicine study sited at www.bantransfats.com/

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Trans fat in effect double teams your efforts to trim down. Like in the battlefield
when you are pushed into an ambush and get flanked by the enemy at the same
time virtually impossible to fight on those two fronts.!
It gathers in your abdomen, making it bigger and puffier, and it also short-circuits
your efforts do drop body weight even thought you are focusing on caloric
consumption. !
One of the other researchers from the study, Kylie Kavanagh, D.V.M., states:
We conclude that in equivalent diets, trans fatty acid consumption increases
weight gain. A diet high in trans fat increased body fat 400% more than a diet in
regular fat. And that fat went right to the waist line. That is trouble of the worst
sort and makes trans fat something you want to avoid at all cost.!
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Trans fat is also nasty on the heart, as is its new proxy, interesterified fat. And
thats not all. Consider this - !
The best known health risk created as a result is a greater risk of heart
disease and stroke with greater intake of trans fats. Trans fats which
cannot be metabolized normally ends up in the liver for biotransformation.
If they simply can never be metabolized, they are returned in the blood to
fat cells for storage, possibly posing a risk of permanent obesity.7!
Heart disease, permanent obesity you definitely dont want to put artificial fat
into your body. !
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The problem with these fats is that they are not natural. Dr. K.C. Hayes
(Brandeis University, Waltham, MA), gets to the heart of the issue. Hayes, who
says he has been looking at fats and oils for 35 years," is concerned about the

7 ibid

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physiological effects of meddling with fat molecules. His own research has
suggested that playing around with Mother Nature can cause all kinds of
problems.8!
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Natural = Good Fat!
The artificial fats dont have any redeeming value and impair the body. In
contrast natural fats are good for you and you want them in your diet. They
actually help your body instead of harm it. All three of the natural fats are good
for you. !
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As long as it is not the unhealthy artificial fat, the human body actually prefers fat
for many of its functions. And fat is not just fat, meaning they are not created
equal there are several types of fat. And none of these different types should
be excluded (some fad diets mistakenly exclude some types). Fat is multi-
faceted and the body prefers fat in a mixed ration. Preventionisbest.com
points out:!
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health
Organization (WHO), two international committees, recommend a
polyunsaturated to saturated fat ratio (P:S) of 0.6:1.0. Or almost twice as
much saturated fat as polyunsaturated fat in the diet. The membrane of our
cells preferentially chooses saturated and monounsaturated fat for
incorporation into its structure. Only in a few specialized structures are the

8 Trans Fat Substitute. Ibid

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 polyunsaturated fats preferentially selected over saturated and
monounsaturated fatty acids. 9 !
The body needs and uses all three types of fat. Also, notice that the human cells
preference is for saturated and monounsaturated fat in a higher proportion than
polyunsaturated fat. Your body needs all three types. Many people try to avoid
saturated fat, but your body needs it. What it doesnt need is altered fat. !
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So fat, the macronutrient, is divided out into three primary types, and you can eat
each of these fats. !
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Carbohydrates!
Carbohydrates are the third macronutrient of the big trio that supplies your body
with the energy it needs. Carbohydrates, like fat, can be confusing. Many people
think of carbs as just carbs. However, the carbs are also split into different types:!
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Natural Carbohydrates!
Simple Carbs!
Complex Carbs!
Fiber!
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Artificial Carbohydrates!
High Fructose Corn Syrup!
And a host of other man-made sweeteners!

9 http://preventionisbest.com/site/saturatedfat.html

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And as with the fats, the artificial versions are bad, and the natural versions are
good (in general, there is one exception which will be discussed). Thats because
the body uses natural carbohydrates, but doesnt know what to do with the
artificial carbs.!
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Bad Stuff!
The most frequently used carbohydrate/sweetener in food today is unfortunately
bad for your body. It goes by the name high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
However, dont let the corn in the name fool you. It isnt natural as the corn
been altered. And you cant find corn syrup growing in a field because it is a
manufactured product, not a natural one. In fact it didnt exist until 1927, when it
was created by scientists. From here HFCS was further refined in the 1950s
and flooded the consumer market in a big way during the 1970s. In 1983 the
Food and Drug Administration approved HFCS as safe for use in foods such as
sucrose, invert sugar, corn syrup and corn sugar. !
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At its core, high fructose corn syrup is an artificial sweetener. This engineered
sweetener has been designed to copy the profile of sucrose. And although it
has a structure that is similar to sucrose, the fructose-to-glucose ratio is different
(varying upon the type of HFCS being manufactured) than sucrose. !
Additionally, sucrose does not contain polysaccharide, something which has
been added to HFCS. !
!
HFCS is not a food item that you can obtain raw in nature, like an apple.
Producing HFCS is not as simple as getting something from nature. Neither is
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the derivative. For example, you can squeeze an orange and get orange juice.
You can squeeze a grape and get grape juice. On the other hand HFCS goes
through a multi-faceted industrial process to arrive at the final product. After
liquefaction, this includes processes such as saccharification, ion exchange,
precoat filtration, evaporation, carbon refining, isomerization and other refining
and related steps. It all boils down to the fact that the original product has been
altered quite a bit and is nowhere near being natural.!
!
Big industry saw great potential in HFCS, even after all of the requisite changes,
because it cost less to produce than other sweeteners such as sugar.
Additionally, HFCS had other attributes desired by industry - preservation,
blending and other abilities, including controlling crystallization, preventing drying
out, and retaining moisture. The bottom line was that HFCS was adopted by the
agricultural industry for its preservation characteristics (extending the shelf life of
a product extensively) and its low-cost point, not for any health related reason.
Today HFCS is distributed wholesale across the national and international food
markets, and it appears in a large percentage of processed food items in any
store.!
!
Oxidative Stress!
One of the key issues with high fructose corn syrup is oxidative stress. !
Interestingly, researchers have used HFCS is its use as a marker for oxidative
stress in research studies. Consider this paragraph from a study in the Journal
of the American College of Nutrition:!

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 Figs produced a significant increase in plasma antioxidant capacity for 4
hours after consumption, and overcame the oxidative stress of consuming
high fructose corn syrup in a carbonated soft drink.10!
!
To translate figs are beneficial to the body, so much so that they overcome the
negative impact of the HFCS. High fructose corn syrup causes oxidative stress in
the body. Its bad stuff. Oxidative stress means is that your body is being torn up,
impaired and harmed, by whatever is bringing about the oxidative stress. In this
case it is HFCS.!
!
And there is more. This is not the only study to prove the point that there is
damaging stress emanating from HFCS:!
We investigated the effect of the consumption of HFCS and ascorbate with
CJ antioxidants or without CJ (control) given to 10 normal individuals after
an overnight fast. Plasma antioxidant capacity, glucose, triglycerides, and
ascorbate were measured 6 times over 7 h after the consumption of a
single 240 mL serving of the two different beverages. The control HFCS
caused a slight decrease in plasma antioxidant capacity at all time points
and thus an oxidative stress in spite of the presence of ascorbate. CJ
produced an increase in plasma antioxidant capacity that was significantly
greater than control HFCS at all time points. Postprandial triglycerides, due
to fructose in the beverages, were mainly responsible for the oxidative

10Vinson, Joe. PhD., Zubik, Ligia. PhD., et. al. Dried Fruits: Excellent in Vitro and in Vivo
Antioxidants. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 24, No. 1, 44-50 (2005)

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 stress and were significantly correlated with the oxidative stress as
measured by the antioxidant capacity.11!
!
In this study the findings on HFCS intake was that it caused oxidative stress in
spite of the positive aspects of the ascorbate. The common denominator in both
studies is that HFCS is creating oxidative
taken on a consistent stress, and damaging the body. This is an
basis (HFCS) will item that large swaths of the population
probably help cause eat daily, and it daily harms the body.!
metabolic syndrome.! !
Dr. Stephen Sinatra Board certified cardiologist Stephen
Sinatra, also a certified nutrition specialist,
states that HFCS is toxic to the liver and it elicits an aggressive insulin response
and Its pro-inflammatory. And Dr. Sinatra deliberately steers his patients away
from HFCS he notes taken on a consistent basis (HFCS) will probably help
cause metabolic syndrome. I dont recommend that any of my patients drink any
high fructose corn syrup sodas and I tell them to read labels to avoid eating it on
a consistent basis. Relating to the long-term intake of HFCS, Dr. Sinatra notes
It is unknown what the long term consequences of high fructose corn syrup will
do. However, in the animal model liver dysfunction and related diseases have
been determined from high fructose eating. Certainly weight gain and metabolic
syndrome are other consequences.!
!
So the very first step on the carb side of the diet is to avoid high fructose corn
syrup. Do this and you automatically and instantly improve your diet drastically.!

11 Bose, Pratima; Proch, John; et. al. Cranberries and Cranberry Products: Powerful in Vitro, ex Vivo, and in Vivo
Sources of Antioxidants. Agric. Food Chem., 56 (14), 58845891, 2008. 10.1021/jf073309b
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!
Also avoid other man-made sweeteners. When something is man-made, the
result is bad news for the body. That is true in the realm of fat (trans fat,
interesterified fat) and it is true in the realm of carbs (high fructose corn syrup
and other artificial sweeteners). Yes, these items may only show up in small
amounts in some foods but dont ignore them as they can have a cumulative
effect on the body.!
!
Simple Carbs!
Simple carbs are found in some food items. The sugar in fruit is one example.
But simple carbs are more than just sugar they can come from wheat and other
products which are refined. The National Library of Medicine notes that Simple
carbohydrates are broken down quickly by the body to be used as energy.
Simple carbohydrates are found naturally in foods such as fruits, milk, and milk
products. They are also found in processed and refined sugars such as candy,
table sugar, syrups, and soft drinks. The majority of carbohydrate intake should
come from complex carbohydrates (starches) and naturally occurring sugars
rather than processed or refined sugars.!
!
The vast majority of simple carbs consumed today fall into the refined category
(bread products and sugar products) and that is unfortunate because the refining
process strips away the other nutrients that come naturally with the simple carbs.
By stripping away these nutrients a food that can be good is turned into
something negative for the body. !
!
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Simple carbs do have some redeeming value. They can act as a quick pick up
for the body when it needs energy quickly. However, it is easy to get too much of
this food. It is best to eat simple carbs in moderation. However, most people eat
a lot of simple carbs. !
!
Simple carbs, particularly the refined type, are perhaps the worst of the
macronutrients apart from man-made elements such as trans fat and HFCS.
However, the simple carbs in most processed foods are themselves altered to a
high degree so they arent really a natural food anymore. !
!
When you eat an apple, you are getting vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fiber,
and much more. But if you were to drink an apple fruit cocktail for instance,
virtually all of those healthy elements have been removed. The man-made
processing system has processed out everything but the simple carbs and made
it into an unhealthy drink.!
!
That happens across the board. It happens to bread, it happens to pastas, to
rice, to fruits, - seemingly whatever big industry gets its hands on, it alters into
something unhealthy. !
!
When a person eats a lot of simple carbs, the bodys blood sugar spikes
noticeably. Give a kid a lot of sugar and he will start bouncing off the wall shortly.
When a lot of sugar (or other simple carbs such as refined flours, etc.) are eaten,
the body goes on a roller-coaster ride. The blood sugar jumps through the
ceiling, then drops like a rock. The energy levels follow the same pattern a
burst of energy, followed by a big drop in energy and a move into lethargy.!

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!
!
There is corresponding problem with the spike and drop in blood sugar levels
that comes from eating a lot of simple sugar the excess gets stored as body fat.
This is perhaps the biggest factor in todays obese society. People are eating too
many simple carbs, and that makes them fat. Eating healthy fats isnt the chief
culprit it is simple carbs. Too much simple carbs makes people fat, pre-diabetic
and a host of other nasty issues. !
!
Here are two simple ways you can handle the simple carb issue !
!
1. Limit your simple carb intake to a very moderate level!
2. Get your simple carbs in natural form and totally avoid processed simple
carbs!
!
!
Key Role!
Simple carbs do play a key role at a couple of points. One is getting your body
going in the morning so something like an orange or other fruit, in its natural
state, can give the body an assist. !
!
The second key time is after a workout. The simple carbs in milk, for example,
are great in helping your body reload its glycogen stores after you have depleted
them in the training session. But make sure you are taking your simple carbs in
a natural state, such as milk, where you have the protein-to-carb ratio already in
a naturally useable form, and the other elements in the milk (electrolytes, etc.)
working in conjunction with the simple carbs. DO NOT HAVE refined sugar as it
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is often paired with other simple carbs such as refined wheat (in a pastry, etc)
which will have no other nutrients and be a negative choice as opposed to
choosing something positve.!
!
Complex Carbs!
The main staple of many athletes diets is complex carbohydrates. Thats
because they have a longer fuse than simple carbs. Decathletes, for instance,
focus on getting a good mix of complex carbs and protein, which includes foods
such as oatmeal, pasta, as well as fish. The demands that the decathlete puts on
the body require a full slate of nutrient loading as well as replenishment and
these guys, the top athletes in the world, turn to complex carbs as the primary
fuel source. This also has to do with fuelling your energy systems, and the
correct system which is being tasked.!
!
Complex carbohydrates should make up most of your carb intake (in addition to
some fiber). Complex carbs do not ingest/digest as quickly as simple sugars.
Complex carbohydrates are broken down into glucose more slowly than simple
sugars (carbohydrates) and in this process they provide a gradual steady stream
of energy throughout the day. Think of simple sugars as sprinters and complex
carbs as the marathon runners of the glucose world. The fact that complex carbs
often come mixed with fiber also makes them slower to digest, which keeps your
blood sugar levels stable as opposed to flucuating.. !
!
Your fuel sources for your workout and your daily activities should come from a
mix of complex carbs and healthy fat. That is the formula for fuelling the

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physique in the right way. Unfortunately the common diet is the opposite most
people fuel up on simple sugars and trans or interestified fat. !
!
There are all kinds of good food choices when it comes to complex
carbohydrates. These include beans, oats, potatoes, high fiber pasta, high fiber
rice (unprocessed), high fiber cereals, high fiber breads, sweet potatoes, peas,
lentils, corn, bran, and root veggies are all good sources of complex
carbohydrates and can benefit your diet. They also contain vitamins, minerals
and more to give your diet a further boost. These foods, when taken in these
natural forms, will keep you feeling satiated (full) and give you the energy you
need to complete your daily tasks.!
!
Resistant Starch!
The potato has received some bad press at times, but despite the misperception,
it is an excellent food choice and beneficial for the body. The bottom line is
simply that potatoes are good for your body, health and physique. One of the
major misunderstandings centers on starch. It turns out that potatoes and other
complex carbs contain what is called resistant starch. An interesting article at
Parenting.com notes the benefit:!
(beans contain) resistant starch, an ab-fat fighter that's also found in
potatoes, bananas, and corn. Resistant starch does not turn to sugar
like most other carbs; instead, it passes through the body
undigested, acting like a fiber, explains Keri Gans, R.D., a registered
dietitian in New York City and member of the American Dietetic!

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 Association. She suggests adding chickpeas or kidney beans to your salad
-- even bean dip will do the trick (yum!).12!
!
So the idea of all the starch in potato contributing to problems in the body is
erroneous. Resistant starch is like fiber and acts to help keep your body trim, not
fat. Complex carb foods such as the potato or bean are highly recommended.
Problems only occur when they are highly processed and the good elements are
removed.!
!
Complex carbs are tasty and healthy. Carbs such as potatoes, in their natural
form, beans in various forms (including hummus), bananas, and more that
contain this unique resistance starch are great foods for supporting your body. !
!
Fiber!
A lack of fiber in your daily diet can contribute to a sluggish metabolism and the
reabsorption of metabolic waste into your system. It has become more difficult to
get fiber into your diet as a result of the over processing of foods. !
!
Around the middle of the last century manufactures and others in the food
processing industry started to refine foods en mass. The result has been the
removal of fiber from the typical diet. And with the fiber goes the nutrients. The
constant consumption of over processed foods is at an epidemic level and
contributing to the sissy-fication of modern man.!
!
12 http://www.parenting.com/article/Mom/Health--Fitness/8-Flat-Belly-Foods

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The typical American diet consists of less than half the recommended amount of
fiber. Some people are regularly taking only 10 20 percent of the
recommended amount of fiber every day.!
!
Your body is not able to digest fiber. When eaten, fiber passes through your
gastrointestinal system carrying excess nutrients and metabolic waste excreted
in bile out of your body. If this waste is excreted into the intestines, and fiber is
not present, it may be partially reabsorbed into your body as was previously
mentioned. A high-fiber diet can aid in weight loss, colon health, treatment and
prevention of Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.
When training to gain muscle, a high fiber intake removes waste that can exert
biochemical stress on the body. Stress decreases levels of growth hormones,
such as human growth hormone and testosterone, that drive muscle growth.!
!
Dr. William Harris notes that lack of fiber has an adverse effect on colonic
bacteria and additionally lengthens the intestinal transit time so that both dietary
carcinogens in meat, and endogenous ones (the bile acids), are in contact with
the intestinal mucosa for a longer period.13 !
!
Yet another issue with lack of fiber is that it can cause constipation and various
gastrointestinal difficulties. Your body needs fiber for proper digestion and
elimination of waste. !

13 van Faassen A; Bol J; van Dokkum W; Pikaar NA; Ockhuizen T; Hermus RJ. Bile acids, neutral steroids, and
bacteria in feces as affected by a mixed, a lacto-ovovegetarian, and a vegan diet. Am J Clin Nutr Dec 1987, 46 (6) p
962-7, ISSN 0002-9165.
and
Bingham SA, Pignatelli B, Pollock JRA, Ellul A, Mallaveille C, Gross G, et al. Does increased endogenous
formation of N-nitroso compounds in the human colon explain the association between red meat and colon cancer?
Carcinogenesis 1996;17:515-23.
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!
Fiber is a powerful dietary tool as it adds fullness and maintains consistency in
your appetite.. This is the satiation factor. And there is more:!
Your small intestine produces a hormone that creates a feeling of fullness.
Its a cholecystokinin (kole-sisto-kinnen), abbreviated CCK. . . as it turns
out, fiber promotes and prolongs the elevation of CCK in the blood, and
this elevation makes you feel full longer. . . among the first scientists to
discover the effects of CCK was a team of researchers from the University
of California, Davis. They found that women who ate a high-fiber meal
released more cholecystokinin into their bloodstream than women who ate
a low-fiber meal. . . other studies have confirmed these findings. When
you eat high fiber foods, or a fiber supplement, you get the benefit of:
Increased volume in your stomach that makes you feel full; higher levels
of CCK that makes you feel full.14!
!
Fibers ability to make you feel full is a powerful tool in overcoming body fat
because it keeps you from overeating. The more full you feel, the less likely you
are to having that sensation of feeling hungry causing you to seek food or graze.!
!
It should start to be coming clear that Fiber is vital for overall health but in case I
havent drilled it into you enough heres a bit more. Lack of fiber in the diet
translates directly into bigger waistline. Conversely, a higher fiber intake leads to
a trimmer middle. Thats right fiber can make your waistline smaller, less full of
fat:!
"Waist circumference was very much associated with this high-refined
grains pattern," said Katherine Tucker, an associate professor of nutritional

14 Watson, Brenda. The Fiber35 Diet. Free Press. New York. 2007. pp.17-18

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 epidemiology at Tufts University in Boston. She and other scientists are
studying what happens to the bodies of people who eat lots of refined
bread.15 !
Tufts University researchers noted that calories from refined grains like to settle
at the waist. Thats the worst place for it to settle if you are working toward the
Alpha Shape. This is why I am promoting a Fiber rich mindset. !
!
When setting up a high fiber dietary approach, there are a few key points to be
aware of.!
!
Step into the high fiber diet incrementally!
If your digestive system has been running on minimal amounts of fiber
for the past few years, you will want to ease into heavier loads. Dont
go from 7 grams a day to 35 grams instantaneously. Instead, move up
by 5 grams a day or so until you reach the higher fiber intake. !
!
Go Raw!
Fiber rich foods are foods that are in a more raw state than the !
pre-packaged, highly processed offerings available at the store. !
Fresh vegetables and fruits are full of fiber. So are nuts and seeds.!
!
Be consistent!
No diet will work if you expect a miracle in two weeks. Lasting change
comes on slowly but surely. Give the fiber diet a chance to work its

15 Dreyfuss, Ira. Refined Grains Expand Girths. Associated Press, June, 2004

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 magic and be consistent in sticking with the program. It will start
improving your health and your appearance. !
!
Get a variety of fiber types!
Although fiber is sometimes referred to a generic sense, there are
actually several different types of fiber. These include pectin, lignins,
gums and mucilages, cellulose and hemicellulose. Each has a
different, positive effect on the body and it is wise to draw from as broad
a spectrum as possible.!
!
Try a supplement!
It isnt always easy to get a full 35 grams of fiber, especially if you are a
road warrior. Eating nutritiously while on the road or even in daily
corporate setting can be challenging. One answer is fiber
supplementation. Fiber supplementation is a great idea to fill in the
gaps in your fiber intake. And make it a supplement that contains the
five different types of fiber, which will be most effective.!
!
Try a snack!
Five figs provide 9 grams of fiber. You can have a quick snack that will
significantly boost your fiber intake if you choose to do so. Cereals
such as oatmeal, rye, etc., also contain a high amount of fiber. An
apple has 5 grams. A can of beans has 20. You can get your 25-35
grams a day if you put in a little planning. If you like to eat protein bars,
Quest bars are very high in fiber. !
!
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Chapter Three
The Flexible Macro Eating Plan

Eating smart is the best way to lose fat and avoid losing the gains you make on a
diet. Most diets arent smart and fall apart. The Black Ops MacroFlex system
is set up to enable you to eat smart for the long term, and in turn, stay trim for the
long term. !
!
There are several different flexes to the diet and it incorporates some aspects
of other diets, but the key to the Black Ops MacroFlex system is that it is a
process that works with instead of against your own body. Too many diets are
set up to fail because there is no way they can be carried out more than a couple
of months. !
!
By using a Flex approach this diet adjusts to your needs and allows different
cycles to trim your body down and let you move on to the next phase. !
!
Two Week Journal!
If you are an analytical person and really want to have a deeper understanding of
how effective the MacroFlex System can be then you will have to begin by
charting your dietary intake for a 2 week period prior to making any changes. Eat
as you have always eaten but add one more element keep track of everything
you eat, everything you drink, all your snacks, everything. At the end of two
weeks you will have a great overview of your eating habits and where you can

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begin to start reshaping and implementing the system. It is important to
understand where you have come from in order to ensure you dont return. !
!
This is not an absolute necessary step but it will create a deeper personal
knowledge of how your current method of fuelling your body has contributed to
either a excess amount of body fat or lack of lean muscle. From this point, as you
begin to relentlessly track your macros in the Black Ops MacroFlex App you will
notice the changes.!
!
!
Protein Pillar!
Protein, being the prime nutrient, lies at the heart of the approach to our
MacroFlex system. The carbs and fat will be flexed but the protein will remain
as the pillar in every variation. Thats because you always need quality protein,
and you need it on every single day of this system.!
!
Keep your protein intake steady at around a gram per pound of body weight. !
!
Phase One Carb Control!
The first flex in this system is that we are not absolutely rigid in how you obtain
your macro inputs, but in every case it is our recommendation that you do so
from the highest quality sources you can. Dependant on what goals you are
attempting to achieve, whether it is leaning out or building lean muscle, generally
speaking Carbs are the first macro to take a hit. While I cannot say for certain, I

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would be willing to guess that your daily carb intake will need to be reduced and
your protein macro will need to be increased.!
!
You want to first of all reduce simple carbohydrates to a bare minimum amount.
Almost but not quite zilch. The reduction of simple carbs will have a profound
effect on your diet. To promote health and properly fuel your systems I highly
recommend the reduction of sugar and refined flour products in your nutritional
intake. !
!
When you begin to input your macros based on your personal calculations, in
general you will see that we keep the protein content constant in your diet.
Minimally increase your fat intake, ensure it is the good fats such as those from
olives and eggs. Most likely the system will cut your carbs down quite a bit which
by extension means you will be reducing your caloric intake. Everything will be
laid out before you and you will know the exact amounts you can ingest
throughout the day. The app will display a visual graph so you can see if you are
getting close to your daily limit. It will also give you a weekly visual and a diary for
the purpose of paying close attention to your macro inputs. !
!
If you want to speed things up SAFELY, here is how I went from a high level of
BF% and dropped to around 6-8% which is where I currently maintain. Now
before you go all half-cocked and jump on the band wagon, please consult a
physician. I know from experience there are those of you out there who are going
to overdo it and go to extremesDONT I am here to tell you THIS WONT
WORK. You need to follow they system. You can rely 100% on the MacroFlex
App to produce the information that will get you results, this information simply

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allows you to consider an alternate and likely more expeditious route to leaning
out while using the information from the App as well. !
!
Less than 135!
The second flex is with respect to the carbohydrate macro. This variable can be
manipulated the most to achieve very rapid results. It can also be used in a
rotational manner to support your energy outputs for the day. If you want to see
significantly rapid results you can simply start with a 135 gm carbs/day intake. !
!
Cut your carbs per day to a point of having less than 135 grams coming from the
carb macro. Spread the carbs out, and also stack them up around your
workouts. That is, dont eat as much carbs on the times between workouts, but
allow yourself more carbs 2 hours before and directly after training. !
!
Dropping to this level of carb intake will shock your body to some degree, and
then it will surrender and start to melt off fat. But you are not done yet.!
Spend a month on this less than 135 grams per day carb macro approach. You
need to watch your fat intake as well. You may have a little more fat but not
much.!
!
Also, at the same time you are lowering your overall carb intake, increase the
amount of fiber carbs you are taking. !
!
At the end of the month on low carbs, there are a couple more iterations to make
a slight tweak to get even more fat off your physique.!
!
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!
!
Less than 100 !
Now cut your carbs to less than 100 grams per day, and stick with this upper limit
for the next two weeks. Again, keep fats and proteins constant, and also eat that
fiber and make sure that your calorie count drops again as well.!
!
Less than 75!
The final part of the first phase flex is to take your carb intake down to less than
75 grams per day. The good news here is that you only need to do so for a week.
Thats right, one week. Again, your calorie count will drop as well as your carb
gram count. Personally it was at this phase of the system that the last of my
lower 2 abs popped in, and they have stayed even though I am now back up to a
higher carb intake. !
!
Less than 125 !
At this point you start stepping the diet back up in terms of carb gram intake and
calorie count. You can now have up to 125 grams per day of carbohydrates.
Stay at this point for 2 weeks.!
!
Phase Two Back to Baseline!
Once you have achieved your Alpha Shape the final step is to move back to a
solid baseline intake. Notice you are not gong back to how you use to eat
because that was presumably flawed. What you want to do here is stick with the

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protein amount of 1 gram per pound of bodyweight, and stick with the fat amount
you had been taking (target .25 grams per pound of bodyweight) but you take
your carb intake up to 1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight. This is your new
baseline macro intake level. !
!
So here is the baseline you get to:!
!
Protein = 1 gram per pound of bodyweight!
Fat = .25 grams per pound of bodyweight!
Carbohydrates = 1.5 pounds of bodyweight!
!
!
Simply MacroFlex!
Whenever you find yourself gaining unwanted fat, you simply go back through
the process of manipulating the carbohydrate macro for a few weeks. Do so
incrementally, and your body will handle it better. Cut down to a low carb intake
rate, then step back into the baseline intake of the macros. Whenever you need
to, if you havent yet established complete maintenance, then manipulate the
most flexible of the 3 macros which is your carbohydrate intake. !
!
!
!
!
!
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Chapter Four
Smart Shopping
!
Amazingly, the dietary battle of losing fat and building lean muscle is not won at
the dinner table, although I have told many an individual who ask me how to get
lean and I tell them to learn the most important move called the push away. Of
course they think I mean some exercise but what I explain to them is to learn to
push away from the table Im sure it is not the most politically correct answer
but so often it is the truth.!
!
The battle is actually won or lost in the store. Thats where you decide what you
are going to eat. By the time you get the food home the battleground has already
been determined. Shopping smart is an art. !
!
Smart shopping starts with knowing what you are going to ingest and then
knowing how to get it. Chief among these skills is the ability to correctly read a
label.!
!
Label reading may not sound awesome, but the results are. Now lucky for you
the MacroFlex App will give you the macro information of most of the foods
which you can simply input into the app but label reading is one of the prime
elements of successful fuelling. In todays market, label reading will make or
break your entire diet. !
!

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"You are what you eat." And if you dont read labels you are simply guessing and
thats not good enough. The problem is that a lot of people dont know what they
are eating. Further complicating the issue is the fact that the manufacturing
industry can be a bit disingenuous in how they list what they put in the package.
In fact if they could, they would rather not say much of anything about what is in
the products we eat.!
!
Accurate Food Analysis!
When you read a label you are simply trying to find out what is actually in the
product. The key here is getting an accurate nutritional analysis of the food. You
dont always have to use a label. Nutritional analysis of a food item can be
performed by knowing the size of the portion of food you intend to eat, and what
that portion consists of. This is particularly true of fruits and veggies, which many
have minimal labelling. !
!
In addition to the MacroFlex App there are a variety of books on the market
that tell you what is in the food that you eat. For example, one book is the
"Nutrition Facts Desk Reference by Nutribase. There are many more similar
books. You can even pick up a pocket reference for a couple of dollars. You can
go online to find out what is in a food as well. Nutrition Data has a wonderful site
you can use for free that allows you to type in the food you are reviewing and get
an analysis of the elements in the food http://www.nutritiondata.com/ !
This site is a great tool, so you will want to bookmark it and use it often.!
!
!
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The Label !

The first step in learning how to read labels correctly is to define what a label is.
There are two main types of food labels - the promotional label, and the nutrition
facts label. The front part of the food package is where the promo label is found,
the site where advertising hype is posted. The company takes advantage of the
fact that most people dont look beyond the front part of the package. !
!
Many foods will use a low-fat, low-sugar, no-gluten or other type of advertising
and they place it on a label right up front, in dazzling color, as the promo label.
Sometimes (often!) this can be misleading as the marketing team of most
companies uses as much leeway as possible when promoting their product.
They may state natural or natural fruit flavor, etc., to draw the consumers
attention to how beneficial the product allegedly is. !
!
The marketing industry tends to play a lot of games with the public. For instance,
a food package may have "light" or "lite" trumpeted across the front and people
think that if they buy it they will benefit their diet. However, this may be referring
to the color or texture of the item, not the fat content. !
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Another trick of the trade is to claim that a food item is "light" or low in fat
compared to another food item. However, if the other food item that is used as
comparison happens to be very high in fat, the subject does not necessarily have
to be very low in fat to beat it. There are a ton of tricks being played on the
consumer, and knowing how to read labels is a great tool for unlocking much of
the truth about what is in the food item that you are planning on purchasing. The

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key to remember when looking at the front of a food package is that this is a
product that is being promoted for the bottom line - profit. The first key to
correctly reading labels is to realize that the real information is on the back or
side of the package, not the front. For finding out the truth about any food item,
read the nutrition facts label. The truth starts to come out when you get to the
back label. Use the analogy of a book the front cover paints a rough picture,
but the back cover or flyleaf tells you much more about what is in the book. The
same is true for the label.!
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Nutrition Facts Label!
The nutrition label is where the real information is. This label is generally located
on the back (or side) of the package of food. If the item is not packaged (such as
fresh vegetables) there is often a nutrition label located nearby that refers to the
food. The nutrition label is often titled "Nutrition Facts." The promo label up front
can be misleading at times; the nutrition facts, however, must be accurate or the
the company risks serious repercussions from the governing agencies
responsible for food safety. Logically, then, the best thing to do is to read the
accurate data, the nutrition facts. !
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The nutrition facts list the serving size, the amount of servings per container, the
calories, the calories from fat, the amount of fat (total fat, saturated fat, trans fat,
cholesterol, etc.) amount of protein, carbohydrates, and type of carbohydrates
(sugars, fibers, etc.). Other items listed include sodium amount, and some
vitamins and minerals. At the bottom or to the side of the nutrition facts the
ingredients are listed. All of this data provides you with much of what you need to
know to make a wise decision on whether or not this food item will be good for
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you or not. This information is also included when you do a search on your
MacrFlex App. This is where you will find the information needed to input into the
App and monitor your macros. You need to be very clear on your portion size. If
you are only having 1 serving then your macro inputs will match the information
on the nutrition facts label, if you are only having 1/2 a serving then you will need
to do some Grade 6 math and only add in the amount of macros that would
constitute a 1/2 serving. ex. - The nutrition label says 1 serving of xyz is 20 grams
of protein, then 1/2 a serving would only be 10 grams. !
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Whats Really in that Food?! !

Even the content of some supposed natural food items is up for debate. The
National Consumers League (NCL) recently sent a letter to the Food and Drug
Administration outlining some of these problems. In particular, Ocean Sprays
sweetened dried cranberries was singled out by the NCL. The NCL
commissioned Krueger Food Laboratories to run an analysis on a new product
employing the sweetened dried cranberries, and the result was that the fruit in
the product was really little more than cranberry skin infused with sugar syrup.
That is just one example of how the term fruit is often used to cover for
something else in a product. !
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One of the central issues in accurately identifying what is in food is that
manufacturers use a variety of names for a product. Trans fat, for instance, may
be called shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, partially hydrogenated
vegetable shortening, or margarine. High fructose corn syrup is called glucose-
fructose in Canada and isoglucose in Europe and there is some speculation that
it will soon come in under one of those names in the United States. !
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Some food items are given different names for obvious reasons. Carmine, for
instance, comes from the ground up shells of dead female beetles. This coloring
(red) is found in quite a variety of foods (perhaps even some that you may have
had today, such as yogurt) but you dont see it listed as dead female beetle
parts you see it stated as carmine. !
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Another added ingredient for which industry employs various names is
monosodium glutamate (MSG). The MSG in some products may be listed as
hydrolyzed vegetable protein, yeast extract or autolyzed vegetable protein and
you would have no idea you were getting MSG unless you specifically knew that. !
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Change-up!
The Food and Drug Administration seems to have given companies quite a bit of
latitude in not only what a company terms a product but also on how much it
loads (or unloads) from that product. The Wall Street Journal ran a story in early
2010 which noted that some companies had been subtly removing elements from
its products. ConAgra Foods had dropped its sodium levels by over a third
during the past five years, and Campbell Soup had also taken sodium levels
down by a third over the course of eight years. !
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These changes indicate a couple of things first, that perhaps there was too
much sodium in the products. Second, that companies can change ingredient
make-ups at will. These companies dropped the sodium levels, but who is to say
that other companies are not increasing MSG levels, or boosting bad additives?
How would you know that particularly if they changed the terminology? Or the
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listed serving size? If they dont have to make it known, only those who read
labels intently will know what is going on. You should take any opportunity to
educate yourself and dont simply just settle for what you are putting into your
body.!
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Vague Terminology!
Not only does the food industry get away with a shell game on the ingredient list
through varied terminology, they also use vague terminology to cover their tracks.
For instance, consider this ingredient listed on a pizza enzyme added as
dough conditioner. Dont you want to know exactly what enzyme that was? Or
how about the catch-all phrases natural flavor or smoke flavor? Using this
type of terminology allows a company to put just about anything into the product.!
!
Todays package labelling is certainly better than it was a few decades ago.
Improvements have been made (such as the requirement to note trans fats) but
companies are still slipping sludge past the public by tweaking the ingredient
listing via terminology. This is a sneaky, disingenuous approach. While at the
very foundation of nutritional science, a calorie is a calorie, we know that
particular foods cause potentially harmful hormonal interactions in the body. It is
important you stay alert.!
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Ingredient List!
Perhaps the most helpful section of the nutrition facts label is the "ingredient" list.
This list notes everything that is in the package of food. What is more, the
ingredients are listed in order of the size in which they appear (by overall weight)
in the package. So ignore all the fancy labels on the front and take a look at
what the ingredient list is telling you. A drink that is mostly water will have to list
water as the first ingredient. For instance, a can of juice that contains juice that is
straight from the fruit, without concentrate, will list the juice as the main (and
often only) ingredient. But a drink that is a concentrate drink or has other
ingredients included will have to list those ingredients. A drink like this would
have an ingredient list that might note: water, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose,
apple juice (from concentrate), strawberry juice, etc. If the list includes added
vitamins (usually synthetic), it will also have to list those. When an item has real
vitamins from its product, it doesnt have to have the vitamins noted separately.
Vitamins noted separately is a tell-tale sign that some vitamins (again, most likely
synthetic) have been added in however this is not a bad thing, just important to
understand the vitamins dont occur naturally in the food and that it has
undergone a process for including them.!
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Some replacement meal drinks make all types of claims for helping your health,
but if you read the ingredient list, often the first item listed (making it the main
ingredient) is sugar and water. So in spite of what the marketing claims on the
front of the package are suggesting, you can check the ingredients to find out
what the real story is. !
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The ingredient list also allows you to make some adjustments in serving the food
item. If you have an item that has syrup or some other liquid carbohydrate
(particularly the simple sugar type) you can drain the liquid down the drain and
cut back on the sugar and extra calories that you dont need. A can of baked
beans provide one good example of how this can be applied. Simply remove
the unwanted ingredients by draining them from the product, leaving the healthy
beans.!
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Calories per Gram !
As you read the labels of food items, it is important that you learn the manner in
which the nutrients are listed. The most crucial point to realize is that nutrients
are listed primarily by gram, not by caloric count. This is very important when it
comes to fat. !
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A food item may have 4 grams of protein, 4 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams
of fat. On the surface it appears that the item is only 33% fat. However, fat
contains 225% more calories per gram than does protein or carbohydrates.
When computed by caloric value, you obtain an entirely different picture. This
food item then computes out as follows - 4 grams protein @ 4 calories per gram
= 16 calories; 4 grams of carbohydrates @ 4 calories per gram = 16 calories; 4
grams of fat @ 9 calories per gram = 36 calories. This food item is more than half
fat! When reading nutrition facts labels, always remember to figure total caloric
value, not just gram value. !
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The caloric value gives the true picture on the nutrient/energy ratio. Protein and
carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram; fat contains 9 calories per gram.
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Knowing this will enable you to figure out the tricks that the companies play as
they often use the grams to promote their item as being a low-fat item, when it is
not if you count by the calories.!
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Counting Carbs!
Another area in which it is wise in which to get a good understanding is that of
the carbohydrate listing. Carbohydrates are not just listed as a single unit. They
are also broken out by type. For example, a package of Flavorite Macaroni &
Cheese, for example, contains 51 grams of carbohydrates. Of these, 2 grams are
fiber and 7 grams are sugar (simple carbohydrates). The number of complex
carbohydrates is discovered by subtracting the other types of carbohydrates from
the total amount of carbohydrates. In this case, there are 9 grams (7 grams of
sugar and 2 of fiber). This amount is subtracted from the overall total of 51
grams, and this indicates that this food item contains 42 grams of complex
carbohydrates. This is important because if you want to stay lean, you do not
want to be eating a lot of simple (sugar) carbohydrates. You want most of your
carbohydrate intake to come from complex and fibrous sources and closely
scrutinizing the label will tell you if the item fits into this category. !
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Fat Labels!
The listing of bad fats (those that are man-made, artificial, and harmful) can be
confusing even on a label. For years companies did not have to state
specifically if their food contained trans fat (and most food did contain trans fat).
However, recently the labelling laws require the manufacturing industry to state
directly whether or not a food item contains trans fat. Unfortunately there is a

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weasel clause in the requirement. If the food has a half a gram or less of trans
fat, the company can get away with stating it has no trans fat when it in fact does
have a limited amount. Thats why there is a disconnect between what the food
product may say on the front Contains no trans fat and even on the label (0
trans fat) yet the ingredient list reveals that there is indeed trans fat in the product
(usually called partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, but also may be called
shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening, or margarine). If you
see this in the ingredient list, it means that indeed the product does have trans fat
at some level. !
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Serving Size!
Also consider that the trans fat requirement on listing is per serving. An item may
have half a gram of trans fat or less per serving, but if you eat the whole product,
you may get quite a bit of trans fat in your body. And remember, trans fat is bad
for your body so bad that some doctors state you should absolutely avoid it.
The cumulative effect can be nasty. !
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It is essential be clear on what you are ingesting and give your food more than
just a cursory review of the nutrition facts label you have to dig down into the
ingredient list and find out if there really is trans fat or some other ingredient you
want to avoid. Yes, you have to do it for every product - dont be lazy, thats what
Beta Males do, not Alphas. !
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Actual Shopping!
Now that you know how to read a label, it is time to go shopping. Before you
enter the store, however, realize what you dont want to buy. And that is
processed food. Processed food greatly elevates the possibility of getting high
fructose corn syrup, trans fats, chemicals, colors (dyes) preservatives and more
which you dont need to eat. None of those things helps your body they all
harm it. Further, processed foods have had their original nutrients stripped out
so that they virtually have nothing good remaining. So avoid processed foods
like the plague.!
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Here is what you want to be shopping for listed by Macro Category.!
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Top Protein Foods to buy!
Eggs
Milk!
Fish cod, red snapper, salmon, sole, tuna, halibut, !
Turkey, Chicken, Cornish Game Hens, !
Dairy products cheese, yoghurt, cottage cheese!
Beef, lamb, pork!
Shrimp, scallops, lobster, crab, oysters !
Bison!
Natural Peanut Butter!
Brewers Yeast, Hemp seed!
Sunflower, pumpkin seeds!
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Top Fat Foods to buy!
Eggs
Milk - whole!
Olives, Olive oil (extra virgin is the best)!
Butter!
Beef!
Avocado!
Sour cream (natural style only)!
Fish Oil in the fish fillet, oil, or tablet!
Nuts almonds, walnuts, etc.!
Flaxseed, Canola oil!
!
Top Carbohydrate Foods to buy!
Bananas!
Cantaloupe, Melons!
Potatoes!
Oats!
Wheat germ!
Grapes!
Apples!

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Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries!
Figs!
High Fiber Pasta!
Beans, Hummus!
High fiber rice!
Triticale, amaranth!
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Junk Done Right!
So what about junk food? Are you forbidden from junk food? An occasional junk
food treat wont kill you (immediately, at least) but if you do, keep most of it in the
realm of homemade treats. A homemade cookie or piece of cake is typically ten
times better than a store-bought dessert because most home cooking isnt
loaded full of chemicals and preservatives. Sugar and butter usually are the
main players in these home made foods which is far better than the high fructose
corn syrup, dyes, trans fat and other garbage in the typical packaged junk food
item.!
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So yes, you can occasionally have some junk food, but make it marginal and go
homemade most of the time. !
There are some fairly decent treats now showing up in the health food aisles of
the stores and if you read labels you can find some dessert or snack food that
isnt full of garbage. Read labels and be smart here as well. There are some

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options out there. Breyers Ice Cream, for instance, doesnt have the load of
chemicals that some other commercial ice creams contain. !
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Supplementation!
I covered this area your 7 Day Action plan however to reiterate what I primarily
use to meet my daily Macro Nutrient intake and maintain my overall health is a
protein supplement, fish oil supplement and BCAA supplement.!
!
You can get these exact supplements here and have them delivered right to your
door.!

BioTrust Low Carb - Protein Supplement!

BioTrust OmegKrill 5X - Fish Oil!
BioTrust BCAA Matrix - Branch Chain Amino Acids!
!
Plus - This is pretty Cool - each order comes with 53 Fat Burning Smoothie
Recipes - Click the links above if you are planning to use any supplements.!
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Conclusion!
The reason we have created a flexible system is because it works. It works
because you can easily maintain compliance as you are still able to eat things
you are used to, providing you fit them within your macro allotment for the day.
This approach absolutely got me ripped. It also guided me toward better food
choices. I hate vegetables, I was born to eat meat and potatoes, but now I eat a
lot of cruciferous vegetables and I actually like them, and because this is not an
all or none approach, but rather a paced approach to lifestyle change, you will
find it a lot easier to maintain compliance which is the simple key to making any
lasting changes. I also like to have a beer with friends (or if you want to be very
clean try a vodka soda) on occasion and I dont want to worry about my hard
work going out the window. You can do this still (although try to avoid binge
drinking) and maintain a lean muscular Alpha Shape. !
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A flexible system is a huge advantage over a super rigid system. By targeting
and controlling the macro nutrients, you establish the right parameters while still
allowing yourself the freedom to adjust your diet to your daily needs and get into
a long term nutritional lifestyle that will keep you lean and able to maintain your
Alpha Shape.!
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