The 4-Hour Body Part 14

It was now a much-improved 209-pound Ray Cronise who sat with a spreadsheet in front of him and his eyes on the paused television. He still had more than 30 pounds to lose. It would take at least 1824 weeks at his current rate.

The spreadsheet was designed to fix this by comparing all the human activities he could isolate, each correlated to its caloric expenditure per hour for his weight. He was tired of being fat and hoped the numbers would provide a faster solution. Instead, they painted a futile picture: even if he ran a 26.2-mile marathon he would only burn around 2,600 calories, or approximately of a pound of fat.

How could Phelps eat an extra extra 9,000 calories per day? Ray scanned his finger through the columns, jotted down a few notes, and defaulted to the calculator. It made no sense. 9,000 calories per day? Ray scanned his finger through the columns, jotted down a few notes, and defaulted to the calculator. It made no sense.

"In order for Phelps to burn those kinds of calories above and beyond what his resting metabolic rate [RMR] was," Ray recalls, "keeping in mind that I had the calculations in front of me, and it's about 860 calories an hour at compet.i.tive swimming rates, he would have to sustain more than 10 hours of continuous b.u.t.terfly every day. Not even he can do that."

So what was going on? Was Phelps misinforming journalists during his Olympic quest? Sabotaging compet.i.tors foolish enough to mimic him based on interviews?

The physics didn't work.

Then, in an instant, paused over the spreadsheet, after 15 years of frustration, it all became crystal clear: "It was the thermal load of the water. Water is 24 times more thermally conductive than air. Phelps spends three or four hours a day in the water."

The effect was the same as pouring hot coffee into a metal cup instead of a ceramic mug; the former loses calories (heat) much faster. Ray did the math with this new variable, and, amazingly, it seemed to add up.

In the six weeks that followed, from the weekend of October 27 to December 5, he would lose 28.6 pounds of fat and never regain them.

The game had changed.

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The first 12 weeks without without cold exposure vs. the second 6 weeks cold exposure vs. the second 6 weeks with with cold exposure. cold exposure.

From NASA to Everest: Correcting the Metabolism Equation It seemed too good to be true. So, as any good scientist would, Ray tried to disprove himself.

In the studies and science he reviewed, what struck him most was not evidence that contradicted his conclusions, but rather the near-complete omission of heat as a factor in fat-loss.

The common equation in the literature was simple: weight loss or gain = calories-in calories-out. Wt = kcal in kcal out.

This wasn't the problem.

The problem was that every table for calories-out (caloric expenditure) immediately fixated on activity level. Thermodynamics-thermodynamics-had somehow been robbed of heat. In Ray's world of s.p.a.ce shuttles and atmospheric reentry, heat was king. The laws of thermodynamics were being cited by people who didn't understand them. Take the first law as an example. In simple terms:

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can only change forms.

The misquoters were limiting the ways ingested calories could change form. They treated exercise and storage as the only two options. In fact, the human body is an open open thermodynamic system and has a number of other options. Ray's then-209-pound meat-frame could exchange energy with his environment in the form of work (exercise), heat, or matter (excretion). thermodynamic system and has a number of other options. Ray's then-209-pound meat-frame could exchange energy with his environment in the form of work (exercise), heat, or matter (excretion).

Running a marathon might burn 2,600 calories, but working out in an 82F pool for four hours could burn up to an extra extra 4,000 calories, if one considered thermal load. 4,000 calories, if one considered thermal load.

How else could people like Scott Parazynski, a friend of Ray's, eat can after can of Spam and other high-fat foods? Scott was an MD and former astronaut who had attempted to summit Everest twice, losing about 25 pounds on each attempt. He was successful on his second ascent. His troupe ate lard and sticks of b.u.t.ter to prevent excessive weight loss. The workload of the climb alone could not account for the caloric expenditure, a 5,000-calorie deficit. It was the cold. Lots of cold.

So Ray began to treat himself like a human s.p.a.ce heater.

He tried everything: he drank a gallon of ice water between waking and 11 A.M A.M.; he slept with no covers; he took midwinter "s.h.i.+ver walks" of 2030 minutes with nothing but a T-s.h.i.+rt, earm.u.f.fs, and gloves on his upper body.

He later found less painful options, but the results were undeniable. He lost almost six pounds in the first week.

It Gets Better-The Devil's in the Details This was not the first time Ray had tried to lose weight.

In 2006, he lost a respectable 20 pounds following the Body-for-Life (BFL) exercise and diet plan, designed by Bill Phillips. BFL performed as advertised, and Ray lost 17.8 pounds of fat in 12 weeks, for an average weekly fat-loss of 1.48 pounds. 1.48 pounds. This was, by all conventional measures, a huge success. Unfortunately, in a pattern familiar to millions, he then gained it all back, plus interest. This was, by all conventional measures, a huge success. Unfortunately, in a pattern familiar to millions, he then gained it all back, plus interest.

In the second experiment, however, repeating BFL with intermittent cold exposure, Ray lost 28.6 pounds in six weeks, for an average weekly fat-loss of 4.77 pounds. 4.77 pounds. The addition of cold exposure alone increased fat-loss per week more than three times. This added up to 61% The addition of cold exposure alone increased fat-loss per week more than three times. This added up to 61% more more total fat lost in total fat lost in half half the time. the time.

I found Ray's results both incredible and believable. But something seemed to be missing.

First of all, he had also gained more muscle with cold exposure. Losing more heat couldn't account for that. Though the muscle gain could have been accounted for by the slight inaccuracies of home-use calipers (plus or minus two pounds), I suspected there was more to the story.

Second, looking at the research, the math didn't add up quite as neatly as I'd hoped.

It's been shown that you can burn almost four times more fat than usual with two hours of cold exposure15 (176.5 milligrams per minute instead of 46.9 milligrams per minute). This is great, but percentage changes can be deceptive. If there are nine calories in one gram of fat, and a.s.suming the effect lasts for the time you are in the water, then this exposure would burn an extra 139 calories, (176.5 milligrams per minute instead of 46.9 milligrams per minute). This is great, but percentage changes can be deceptive. If there are nine calories in one gram of fat, and a.s.suming the effect lasts for the time you are in the water, then this exposure would burn an extra 139 calories,16 or or 15.5 grams of fat 15.5 grams of fat.

15.5 grams?! That's about 11 paper clips...for two hours of torture.

Ray was losing more than three additional pounds (approximately 1,350 grams) of fat per week with cold exposure. To achieve that with water immersion alone, looking at the same studies, he'd need to spend 174.2 hours per week in 50 water. It seems unlikely that Ray spent more than 24 hours per day in water. In fact, he didn't spend two hours per day swimming in, or consuming, 50 water.

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Ray Cronise's fat-loss spreadsheet. 12 weeks without cold vs. 6 weeks with cold.

Something else needed to be happening. It could have been the other thermic loads he experimented with: cold walks, sleeping without sheets, etc.

Digging deeper still, I now believe that the "something else" involves two players you'll hear much more about in the next few years: adiponectin and BAT.

Adiponectin is a cool little hormone, secreted by fat cells, that can both increase the oxidation ("burning") of fatty acids in mitochondria and increase uptake of glucose by muscle tissue. I believe adiponectin is largely to thank for Ray's muscle gain.17 Speculation notwithstanding, the research is in its early stages, so I'll reserve adiponectin as an intellectual dessert for the geeks. My forays into its potential can be found in the online resources. Speculation notwithstanding, the research is in its early stages, so I'll reserve adiponectin as an intellectual dessert for the geeks. My forays into its potential can be found in the online resources.

BAT and my related torture experiments, on the other hand, are worth taking a closer look at.

If the science gets too dense and you want the index card version, skip to "Ice Age Revisited-Four Places to Start" on this page this page. I won't be offended.

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[image]Fat-Burning Fat Not all fat is equal. There are at least two distinct types: white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT).

WAT is what we usually think of as fat, like the marbling on a steak. A WAT cell-an adipocyte-is composed of a single large fat droplet with a single nucleus.

BAT, in contrast, is sometimes referred to as "fat-burning fat" and appears to be derived from the same stem cells as muscle tissue. A BAT cell is composed of multiple droplets that are brown in color because of a much higher volume of iron-containing mitochondria. Normally a.s.sociated with muscle tissue, mitochondria are best known for producing ATP and oxidizing fat in muscle tissue. BAT helps dissipate excess calories as heat. These excess calories would otherwise be stored in the aforementioned WAT and end up in your beer gut or m.u.f.fin top.18 In a nutsh.e.l.l: cold stimulates BAT to burn fat and glucose as heat. Cold, as well as drugs called beta-adrenergic agonists,19 can also make BAT appear within WAT in mice and rats. In other words, cold might help you increase the amount of your "fat-burning" fat. This has tremendous implications. can also make BAT appear within WAT in mice and rats. In other words, cold might help you increase the amount of your "fat-burning" fat. This has tremendous implications.

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In 1995, I began conducting experiments on myself using the powerful "ECA stack" discussed in the last chapter.

It was an effective thermogenic c.o.c.ktail. So effective, in fact, that I suffered heat exhaustion three times and should have been hospitalized on two of those occasions. It doesn't matter how ripped you are if you're dead.

In 1999, four years of experimentation later and much the wiser, I had eliminated the contributing factors that led to heat stroke conditions (in my case, all exercise or sun exposure at 70%+ humidity) and began to combine ECA with timed cold exposure.

The outcome: in four weeks, I lost what usually took up to eight weeks with ECA alone, and I did it without the side effects. I used two different protocols, both of which worked: PROTOCOL A.

1. I consumed the ECA stack 45 minutes prior to cold-bath immersion on an empty stomach. Though the metabolism of caffeine (caffeine clearance) varies from person to person, I a.s.sumed that blood concentration would peak between 60 and 90 minutes postoral consumption, which was based on the average pharmac.o.kinetics pharmac.o.kinetics of caffeine in white male subjects. Pharmac.o.kinetics, usually in graph form, show the relative blood concentrations of a specific drug over time after administration. Caffeinated gum, for comparison with pills, shows peak levels at 15 minutes. Delivery mechanisms matter. of caffeine in white male subjects. Pharmac.o.kinetics, usually in graph form, show the relative blood concentrations of a specific drug over time after administration. Caffeinated gum, for comparison with pills, shows peak levels at 15 minutes. Delivery mechanisms matter.

2. I placed two ten-pound bags of ice in a cold-water bath and submerged myself for a total of 20 minutes. Those 20 minutes were phased as follows: 00:0010:00 minutes: Up to mid-waist, legs submerged, torso and arms not submerged.

10:0015:00 minutes: Submerged up to neck with hands out of the water (sitting cross-legged then reclining makes this easier in a standard bathtub).

15:0020:00 minutes: Submerged up to neck, hands underwater.

Sound painful? It is.

The second protocol, performed without ECA and tested separately, activated BAT and was far easier.

PROTOCOL B.

1. I placed an ice pack on the back of my neck and upper trapezius area for 30 minutes, generally in the evening, when my insulin sensitivity is lower than in the morning.20

That's it.

I tested protocol A three times per week (on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) and protocol B five times per week (Monday through Friday). The former caused grand mallike s.h.i.+vering and the latter caused no s.h.i.+vering.

Nonetheless, looking at the bodyfat results, Protocol B appeared to be around 60% as effective as the torture baths in Protocol A.

Not a bad yield, considering that no convulsing is involved.

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In 1999, amusingly, most researchers firmly believed that BAT, while abundant in infants, was nonexistent or negligible in adults. I was in the midst of my Guantanamo Bay baths21 at this time, and these conclusions did not square with my experience. It wasn't until years later that better tools, most notably positron-emission topography (PET), became more widespread and were used to demonstrate that BAT is most certainly present in adults, particularly in the neck and upper chest areas. at this time, and these conclusions did not square with my experience. It wasn't until years later that better tools, most notably positron-emission topography (PET), became more widespread and were used to demonstrate that BAT is most certainly present in adults, particularly in the neck and upper chest areas.

That explains why the ice packs on my neck and upper trapezius worked.

In the May 2009 issue of Obesity Review Obesity Review, a paper was published t.i.tled "Have we entered the BAT renaissance?" I'd say the answer is yes. The abstract concludes: "These recent discoveries should revamp our effort to target the molecular development of brown adipogenesis in the treatment of obesity."

Let's start with cold. It isn't fancy, but it works well.

Ice Age Revisited-Four Places to Start If we combine the research with data from self-trackers like Ray and his 50+ informal test subjects, there are four simple options you can experiment with for fat-loss:

1. Place an ice pack on the back of the neck or upper trapezius area for 2030 minutes, preferably in the evening, when insulin sensitivity is lowest. I place a towel on the couch while writing or watching a movie and simply lean back against the ice pack.

2. Consume, as Ray did, at least 500 milliliters of ice water on an empty stomach immediately upon waking. In at least two studies, this water consumption has been shown to increase resting metabolic rate 2430%, peaking at 4060 minutes post-consumption, though one study demonstrated a lower effect of 4.5%. Eat breakfast 2030 minutes later a la the Slow-Carb Diet detailed in earlier chapters.

3. Take 510-minute cold showers before breakfast and/or before bed. Use hot water for 12 minutes over the entire body, then step out of water range and apply shampoo and soap to your hair and face. Turn the water to pure cold and rinse your head and face alone. Then turn around and back into the water, focusing the water on your lower neck and upper back. Maintain this position for 13 minutes as you acclimate and apply soap to all the necessary regions. Then turn around and rinse normally. Expect this to wake you up like a foghorn.

4. If you're impatient and can tolerate more, take 20-minute baths that induce s.h.i.+vering. See protocol A earlier in this chapter but omit the ECA. For extra thermogenic effect, consume 200450 milligrams of cayenne (I use 40,000 BTU or thereabout) 30 minutes beforehand with 1020 grams of protein (a chicken breast or protein shake will do). I do not suggest consuming cayenne or capsaicin on an empty stomach. Trust me, it's a bad idea.

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1. Short-term cold exposure (30 minutes) in humans leads to fatty acid release to provide fuel for heat production through s.h.i.+vering. This same s.h.i.+vering could be sufficient to recruit GLUT-4 to the surface of muscle cells, contributing to increased lean muscle gain.