by Guy SInes

Created on: January 23, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

If you're following a new fad diet, or listening to the "conventional" wisdom for weight loss, chances are you're not going to attain your goals. The reasons are simple. First of all, diets simply don't work. It is instinctual and necessary for us to satisfy our nutritional cravings, and when you're depriving yourself of the enjoyment of eating, you're eventually going to overindulge. Also, when your body senses a depletion of nutrients, it begins to STORE fat as a survival mechanism (the same is true regarding extended cardio training, but more on that later).

The second reason, is that the governmental nutritional guidelines we have been given for the past half century (i.e. the "four food groups" and "food pyramid") are simply wrong.

Without going too far into the science and sources of my reasoning, I'll simply begin here by telling you what has worked extremely well for me. At forty years of age, I am often mistaken for someone much younger. My physique is lean and muscular, and my body fat tends to fluctuate between seven and ten percent (this is healthy. In order to qualify for duty as a U.S. Navy SEAL or diver, you have to have AT LEAST ten percent body fat. Bodybuilders and models will starve themselves to get their body fat as low as three percent, but this is an extremely unhealthy practice). I eat as much as I want, NEVER count calories, consume alcohol socially and only exercise between fifteen and twenty minutes, five to seven times a week. Here is an abbreviated outline of my program.

RULE #1. Always look to nature. Observe animal behavior and follow the natural rhythm of the seasons. Listen to your body and your own instincts when trying something new. If something you're told goes against the laws of nature, avoid it.

RULE #2. AVOID GRAINS! Going back to RULE #1, you will observe that with the exception of birds and rodents, no other creature in the wild eats them. They are starchy, which reduces insulin sensitivity and thereby causes weight gain, and they have very limited nutritional value. Even cattle, when left to their own devices, choose to eat grass instead. Ranchers feed them grain to because it's efficient and it fattens up the cattle (and our government nutritionists have the audacity to wonder why people are getting fatter, after telling them to eat like cattle). I eat a sprouted grain bread instead of regular flour based bread whenever possible. Sprouting has the beneficial effect of both eliminating the glutens in the grain husk, as

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