11-09-2003, 04:54 AM
The book is excellent overall. The first 80 pages are a really good summary of the anthropological and scientific reason's underlying why the low carb approach works and is healthy.
2 pet peeves - before the good stuff
1) A word about the footnotes. The author, Rob Faigin, never saw a footnote he didn't like. I guess if you wanted to do your own research it would be helpful, but the guy's not a doc or a Phd, so all the footnoting in the world doesn't make it a double blind test of the diet itself.
2) One should never quote one's self in the same breath as Buddah, Linus Pauling, Montaigne etc....nough said on that.
The Diet
NHE is Ellis plus -in theory. You do an induction, as in Ellis or Atkins to go into fat burning.
The theory is this - once your a fat burning machine you can increase the anabolic/GH effect by periodic, once every 3-4 day, carb loading. Faigin beleives that since your carb depleted there will be room in your muscles for a helpful amount of carb to be stored without what he calls "spill over" or fat storage.
The carb load is short, the evening meal or 2, then right back to low carb for 3-4 days. He believes this will not take you out of ketosis and will allow you take advantage of only the good side of the insulin rush without the bad.
Thoughts -
1) Everything I have read over the years tells me that "amatuer" hormone manipulation is a crap shoot at best. The theory is perfectly sound, but whether you can control the realease of hormone's accurately outside of a lab environment is very iffy.
2) The appeal to body builders and power lifters is obvious. The plan requires more discipline and planning then straight low carb. BB and PL guys are very disciplined and love to plan and control variables. The idea of a steriod like effect is very attractive. This is not a criticism of the diet or those guys, just an observation.
3) The diet is sound and I believe it could work as well as Atkins/Ellis for a certain kind of person.
I believe the diet works for the exact same reasons as straight low carb. The extra tight control during the low carb phases allows for a carb meal. As oposed to a plan where you find the level of carbs that allows you to work out, live well, have energy and be lean every day and just sticking with that.
4) I do not think it is better. Just different - and not all that much.
I will be getting back to my 2-3 daily 15 gram whey shots - something reading this reminded me I've been not doing.
He agrees that diet mixing don't work. If you think NHE sounds good - do it for at least 3 months - and be ready to be really tight with the carbs to save up for the carb up - which, by the way, is supposed to be low fat/low protien. Don't just add a carb pig out to your present diet.
A book worth reading, and a good solid plan for a certain person, not me.
Bill
2 pet peeves - before the good stuff
1) A word about the footnotes. The author, Rob Faigin, never saw a footnote he didn't like. I guess if you wanted to do your own research it would be helpful, but the guy's not a doc or a Phd, so all the footnoting in the world doesn't make it a double blind test of the diet itself.
2) One should never quote one's self in the same breath as Buddah, Linus Pauling, Montaigne etc....nough said on that.
The Diet
NHE is Ellis plus -in theory. You do an induction, as in Ellis or Atkins to go into fat burning.
The theory is this - once your a fat burning machine you can increase the anabolic/GH effect by periodic, once every 3-4 day, carb loading. Faigin beleives that since your carb depleted there will be room in your muscles for a helpful amount of carb to be stored without what he calls "spill over" or fat storage.
The carb load is short, the evening meal or 2, then right back to low carb for 3-4 days. He believes this will not take you out of ketosis and will allow you take advantage of only the good side of the insulin rush without the bad.
Thoughts -
1) Everything I have read over the years tells me that "amatuer" hormone manipulation is a crap shoot at best. The theory is perfectly sound, but whether you can control the realease of hormone's accurately outside of a lab environment is very iffy.
2) The appeal to body builders and power lifters is obvious. The plan requires more discipline and planning then straight low carb. BB and PL guys are very disciplined and love to plan and control variables. The idea of a steriod like effect is very attractive. This is not a criticism of the diet or those guys, just an observation.
3) The diet is sound and I believe it could work as well as Atkins/Ellis for a certain kind of person.
I believe the diet works for the exact same reasons as straight low carb. The extra tight control during the low carb phases allows for a carb meal. As oposed to a plan where you find the level of carbs that allows you to work out, live well, have energy and be lean every day and just sticking with that.
4) I do not think it is better. Just different - and not all that much.
I will be getting back to my 2-3 daily 15 gram whey shots - something reading this reminded me I've been not doing.
He agrees that diet mixing don't work. If you think NHE sounds good - do it for at least 3 months - and be ready to be really tight with the carbs to save up for the carb up - which, by the way, is supposed to be low fat/low protien. Don't just add a carb pig out to your present diet.
A book worth reading, and a good solid plan for a certain person, not me.
Bill