Agnieszka Wilk Tobiasz Wilk

MINIMUM
EFFORT,
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

MAXIMUM EFFECTS
A fairly effortless way
to get rid of fat

No Cardio System

Kraków 2017
Copyright © 2018 by Tobiasz Wilk and Agnieszka Wilk

Edited by:
Patrycja Wyczesana, Renata Jach, Tobiasz Wilk

Revised by:
Patrycja Wyczesana, Renata Jach

Cover design:
Everywhere Studio

Logo design: Marcin Kłosowski

Typesetting:
Everywhere Studioto Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Licensed

The nutrition methods described in this book are based on the rudiments of the
physiology of human nutrition and on the experience of the authors with their
clients. You are responsible for your own choices and it is up to you whether and
to what degree to follow the body shaping and health improvement information
included in this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without
the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial
uses permitted by copyright law. Copyright infringement can lead to
substantial penalties.
For permission requests contact: [email protected].

ISBN
978‒83‒942256‒0-5

2nd revised edition, Kraków 2017

 Table of contents

.
About the authors .................................................................................... 5
Foreword 1 .............................................................................................. 7
Foreword 2 .............................................................................................. 9
What do we know about dieting? .......................................................... 11
Fight for survival ................................................................................... 15
6 meals a day, or how to make money off you....................................... 17
How to destroy the feeling of huger ...................................................... 25
Growth hormone – the elixir of youth and perfectly shaped body ........ 33
The curse of bodybuilders – the overwhelming catabolism of muscles. 37
Breakfast – the most important meal of the day? .................................. 41
Feasting in the evening – a way to a body of your dreams? .................. 45
Can you lose weight while eating sweets? ............................................. 49
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Protein – the main component of a slimming diet? ................................ 51
Carbohydrates in a reducing diet ............................................................ 57
Dessert – your enemy or friend? ............................................................ 65
Modern world lives a lie – the whole truth about fats ............................ 69
“Healthy food” does NOT equal “weight loss food” ..............................78
Supplements – innovative discoveries of science? ................................ 82
A perfect meal during a reducing diet ................................................... 94
A perfect fat reducing diet ................................................................... 109
Physical activity – No Cardio .............................................................. 129
Cardio (aerobic exercise) and long-distance running – the best idea
for fat burning? ..................................................................................... 132
Closer to your goal ............................................................................... 137
The most common mistakes made while applying the “2XME – Minimum
Effort, Maximum Effects” programme ……………………………… 142
“2XME – Minimum Effort, Maximum Effects” – the best way to reduce
fatty tissue? ......................................................................................... 146
Does 2XME really work? .................................................................... 152

3
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
About the authors

– MSc in Physiology of Human Nutrition, passionate

about the dietetics that focuses on body shaping and health
prophylaxis. He perfectly understands those struggling with
excess fatty tissue because he admits he has a tendency to gain
weight and loves to eat well. Over the past years, Tobiasz has
been searching for the easiest and the most pleasant but also
a safe way to lose fat. As a member of the networking
organisation BNI, he was able to test and improve the system he
has developed on hundreds of local entrepreneurs. It is thanks to
the businessmen that Tobiasz has created an effective body
shaping programme which does not require considerable effort,
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
sacrifice and time.

– MSc in Food Technology, promoter of healthy

nutrition in a broad sense of the term. While learning about food
processing, she studied the contemporary food industry from the
inside and she understood that all that mattered there was profit.
She realised that she did not want to be a part of this so she
started searching for a generally available alternative to highly-
processed food. Working as a dietician, she shows her clients
how to take delight in food with simple recipes, helping them
successfully avoid the poison contained in junk food. Agnieszka
specialises in healthy food, in particular in non-nutrients in
food\and their prophylactic and therapeutic properties. She
believes that being unaware of what you eat is the main cause of
excess weight and many lifestyle diseases. Using the example of

5
her clients, she shows how education regarding nutrition may
help you improve both your appearance and your health.

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

6
Foreword 1
[Tobiasz Wilk]

As far as nutrition is concerned, people can be classified as

those who “eat to live” or those who “live to eat.” The former do
not care too much about the taste and composition of their meals
– they simply eat in order not to be hungry and to have energy.
The latter, on the other hand, have a completely different
perspective on eating – they treat it as a tremendous source of
pleasure, they celebrate every meal, every bite, and they often
treat food as the highlight of the day. The former rarely have
problems with excess weight and self-control while eating, while
the latter usuallytohave
Licensed Annamore [email protected]
Denslow, tissue and are simply addicted
to food.
Unfortunately, I am one of the latter – highly prone to
gaining weight and I love having a good meal! Without beating
around the bush, I sometimes simply like to stuff myself.
I struggled with excess fatty tissue for years, convinced that I can
only dream about well shaped body free of fat. Whenever I was
getting closer to the desired goal, the same problem kept popping
up – my love for food. Every time it successfully presented me
from sticking to my diet and thus from achieving low body fat.
If you are just like me – you treat a lavish, delicious meal as
a pleasure comparable to sexual rapture and dream about lower

7
fatty tissue level, the information in this book is addressed
especially to you. If you are not, pass the book over to someone
who is unhappy in their body as it is and has never been strong-
willed enough to lose weight. This book may change their life.

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

8
Foreword 2
[Agnieszka Wilk]

If you are holding this book in your hand, this probably

means that nature has not blessed you with low fat level. I am
highly prone to gaining weight too, and I find it challenging to
get in shape. There was a moment in my life when I weighed
55 lb more than now so considering how short I am, I really did
not look good. My excess weight was very noticeable and it
made me feel really bad. Finally, I decided to do something
about it and change my plump shapes to a fit figure. I started to
exercise and eat healthy. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of my
activities kept dropping
Licensed so I [email protected]
to Anna Denslow, to keep increasing the training
and restricting my diet even further. In time, my life became
completely subordinated to becoming fit. Eating 5-6 tiny meals
regularly required me to carry food divided to portions
everywhere I went with me. I would usually eat in hiding to
avoid the constant explanations that I am on a diet. Not to
mention the smell coming out of the food boxes after I carried
them with me all day long. But eating every 2-3 hours is just
a half of the fight for beautiful body. Regular exercise required
probably even more sacrifice on my part. No, it was not one or
two hours but even three to four hours a day! Having regular
meals and spending half of my day in the kitchen plus intense
exercise – all this gave me little time left for work or studying,
not to mention any other activities. To be able to keep up with
everything, I had to sleep less, which made me feel even worse
and affected the ability of my body to regenerate. Hungry all the

9
time, forcing myself to a monotonous diet, fatigued and sleep-
deprived, I lost all joy of life. Instead of feeling happy I was
angry and miserable but I made it – I had the body of my dreams.
Moreover, I entered a bikini fitness contest, which was
a tremendous success. But was it all worth this huge effort? After
all, I had to turn my life into a nightmare to achieve it! I cannot
imagine a working mother or father being able to subordinate
their whole life to exercise and diet. So does this mean that
a great majority of the society has no chance at the body of their
dreams? Is there no hope for them? Is changing your life into
living hell the only way to achieve low body fat? Well, maybe
there is an alternative after all...

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

10
 What do we know about dieting?
[Tobiasz Wilk]

Giving lectures and seminars on body shaping, I usually start

with the question: “What can I do to lose weight?” I do not have
to wait long for the answers. The participants eagerly give tips
on how to get rid of fatty tissue, and I carefully note everything
down on the board. Here are the most frequent suggestions and
their explanations:
You have to eat regularly, 5-6 meals a day (every 2-
3 hours) – greater frequency of meals accelerates
metabolism.*
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

Metabolism – I will not give the scientific definition because

you can find one for instance in a book on the rudiments of
nutrition.

11
 Do not eat past 6.00 p.m. – why eat late if we are going
to bed and are unable to burn the calories.
Eat breakfast – it is the most important meal as it gets our
metabolism going for the whole day.
Do not eat products with a high glycemic index (for
instance sweets) – they increase the insulin level, which is
conducive to the accumulation of fatty tissue.
Avoid carbohydrates – they are the ones that are mostly
deposited in the form of fatty tissue.
Eat a lot of proteins – they build muscles
and considerably boost metabolism – it is hard to put on
weight because of excess protein.
Eat a lot of healthy food – after all, you cannot gain weight
because of something that is healthy.
Considerably increase the intake of fibre – it improves
bowel movement
Licensed and
to Anna boosts [email protected]
Denslow, metabolism.
Exercise a lot and regularly – physical activity is the best
way to get rid of excess weight.
It is a good idea to support fat burning with specially
designed supplements.
When the participants run out of suggestions and the room
becomes quiet, my favourite part of any lecture begins. I ask
another question: “And what would you say if I told you that all
these suggestions are complete rubbish?”
Then I firmly cross out all the notes or, if applicable, I tear off
and destroy the sheet of paper.
The faces of the attendants are priceless. I can hear their thoughts
in my head: “What the hack is he saying?”, “He must be
confused,” “He has no idea about nutrition,” “The guy must be
crazy” etc. But a second later, people start clapping. Why is that?
Those who have problems with excess fat love to eat. If we
knew that our favourite dishes would not harm our health or
12
figure, we would be happy to eat them every day, even if they
were not the healthiest of choices. Let's not kid ourselves – no
one likes stuffing themselves with vegetables of high-fibre
products. Few have the time to eat six times a day and to start
their day with a large breakfast. Unfortunately, the majority of
us are not sports enthusiasts and food has the best taste after
6.00 p.m.

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

13
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Fight for survival
[Tobiasz Wilk]

What is the reason behind human ability to accumulate fatty

tissue?
Is it particularly needed during increased physical activity?
Examining where our body draws energy from during any
major physical effort, we may notice that fatty tissue is the most
unpopular fuel. During any exercise, we use mostly the
carbohydrates stored in the form of muscle glycogen or liver
glycogen. Of course, our body does not use only carbohydrates
or only fatty tissue at a given time. We draw from both of these
sourcesLicensed
at the same time
to Anna but in [email protected]
Denslow, different proportions. As far as
our activity is concerned, the more intense the exercise the larger
the share of carbohydrates in the fuel.
So when do we get rid of the greatest quantities of fat? When
we do nothing! Yes, we burn the most fat if our lifestyle is not
very active. The quantity of calories utilised over a short period
is not too high in this case, obviously, but should this bother us?
After all, hardly anyone has problems refraining from any major
physical activity for many of hours. So you probably ask
yourself why there are so many overweight people. To find the
answer to that, we must go back to our discussion about the
reason for depositing fat.

15
 An analysis of the life of primeval people suggests that their
physical activity level was basically the same their whole lives.
We know that they mostly hunted and travelled long distances
every day but there were usually no situations where their daily
physical activity considerably increased (for instance they
started to run additional 10 kilometres every day). Fatty tissue
was never the source of energy in increased physical activity.
Why do we need the ability to accumulate it? You probably
already know the answer – to survive through a period of hunger.
Significantly increased daily energy expenditure was not
common in the life of a primeval man but periods where food
was sparse occurred nonetheless. This is why we are capable of
depositing fatty tissue – it is our basic fuel for daily life activities,
especially useful during shortage of food. I hope that it is starting
to become clear why it is proper nutrition and not exercise that
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
is crucial in the process of losing weight! Even the laziest person
can lose weight easily provided that they eat less calories than
their total demand.

16
6 meals a day,
or how to make money off you
[Tobiasz Wilk]

Eating every 2-3 hours boosts metabolism – the more small

meals the better. If you do not eat anything for a longer period,
the body senses shortage of energy supplies and stores it in the
form or fat deposits. You have probably been hearing these
theories every step of the way for at least 20 years now... but
have you ever managed to test if they are true? But why verify
the knowledge repeated for the past quarter of a century by all
“nutrition experts”. Yet I couldn't shake off the feeling that
something was towrong
Licensed here... [email protected]
Anna Denslow, this is so obvious than there
should be an annotation about this in university nutrition
textbooks... I kept looking only to find nothing! If not there,

ENERGY SUBSTRATES
versus the time that has passed since
a balanced meal

100%.
Sugars

Fats

0%
0h 1h 2h 3h 4h 5h 6h

Time that has passed since a balanced meal

17
then maybe in biochemistry, dietetics... The information that
eating more small meals boosts metabolism is nowhere to be
found. Actually, scientific literature reports the opposite. It tells
us that the fat burning process becomes inhibited soon after we
eat. The more time passes since the meal, the lower the blood
sugar (and thus insulin) level and the greater the use of fatty
tissue as the source of energy. So why eat 5-6 meals a day?
The correlation between fat loss and the frequency/number
of meals caught my attention and I started to carefully study the
related scientific studies. A vast majority of them show that the
number of portions is of no significance for the loss of body
weight (provided that the calorie supply and proportion of
macronutrients in the diet stays the same). Here are several
studies confirming this claim:
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

Curiously enough, while analysing scientific experiments

we can come across results in support of fewer (e.g. 2 a day) rather
than more (6 a day) meals. Here is an example:

I have found no studies pointing to better effects of more

versus fewer meals.
Of course when we analyse scientific experiments we must
consider a possibility that some of them may have flaws

18
arising from improper study conditions, failure to take into
account all the relevant factors or simply incorrect interpretation
of results. It is also important to check who conducts them,
whether they are independent or sponsored by companies which
may influence the results depending on their own agendas. This
is why many people to whom I presented study results in support
of a particular theory said: “I don't care about studies, I only
believe in what brings noticeable results or what my ancestors
did.” Ok, so let's tackle the latter first... Did our primeval man
eat 6 times a day every 2-3 hours? No! The meals were irregular,
depending on access to food. Did your grandparents eat 6 times
a day every 2-3 hours? They probably did not. Don't you ever
wonder about the fact that the obese population has not dropped
over the past two decades but is alarmingly increasing, despite
the ideaLicensed
of eating
to frequently being
Anna Denslow, widely promoted?
[email protected]
To get to those who do not trust research, I try to touch upon
the issue that they consider to be of greatest credibility, i.e. the
noticeability of results. I am open-minded and I like to listen to
unconventional opinions about nutrition. I seek to find their
confirmation in science and, what is of primary importance, I test
them in practice! First on myself, and if I am satisfied with the
results – also on my clients (each one of them was first asked if
they wish to take part in tests regarding a particular method).
Both I and almost two hundred of my clients who have
followed diets based on no more than 3 meals a day may
unanimously confirm that you do not have to eat 5-6 meals a day
to successfully lose weight. From a practical point of view,
having compared fatty tissue losses between the two

19
nutrition methods, I can easily say that they were similar
(assuming the same calorie supply in the diet and the same
proportion of macronutrients), and sometimes they were event
better for diets consisting of three meals only.
Someone may say that if the number of meals is insignificant
for the process of losing fatty tissue, maybe it is better to have
six rather than three meals after all. No problem. Diets with more
meals can yield just as good results provided that they are
properly designed. The thing is that few people can stand such
a regime for more than a few days. Why is that?
Let us take a look at the most important and the most
fundamental rule of fat reduction. To lose weight, your calorie
(energy) intake must be lower than your demand so your diet
should have a calorie (energy) deficit!
This book is probably
Licensed not [email protected]
to Anna Denslow, first encounter with the issue
of fatty tissue loss so I hope that you are familiar with this basic
rule.
Just to be sure, I will use an example. Let's assume that your
total demand for energy (TMR*) is 2000 kcal – if you want to
lose 1 lb a week, the energy deficit in your diet should be -
500 kcal.
As a remainder: 7 days × 500 kcal = 3500 kcal (the energy
that the body draws from 1 lb of fatty tissue).
Considering the above assumptions, you have to eat
1500 kcal a day to successfully lose weight. Now try to divide
the one and a half thousand calories into six meals. Each of them
would have about 250 kcal.
Are you sure you know what 250 calories look line on
the plate? Is it a filling portion? Not really. This is actually
the main reason why people lack the persistence to follow
through with such diets. Eating 5-6 very small meals usually
20
means leaving the table still hungry, which the majority of
people consider a terrible feeling! Not to mention that modest
meals usually boost our appetite and thus leave us irritated. If
such situation is continuously repeated, we fell constantly
hungry and annoyed. We finally can’t take it any longer and we
say: “Enough is enough! I’m getting a pizza.” The feast is then
followed by a moment of reflection and we realise that we have
failed once again. We stop believing in ourselves and we doubt
that we will ever be able to get rid of the excess fat.
To burn fat with a diet that makes you feel hungry all the time
you either need very strong nerves or you must be a madman.
Lack of satiety for a longer period is unbearable for those who
love eating.
Let’s come back to our hypothetical 1500 kcal reducing diet
(with 500 kcal of energy deficit). If you give up the idea of six
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
meals and divide the total number of calories into three dishes,
you get

Total Metabolic Rate (TMR) – aggregate energy

expenditure of the body. It consists of: Basal Metabolic Rate
(BMR) (the minimum energy required for proper functioning
of the body) and Active Metabolic Rate (AMR), i.e. the
energy used during physical activity and in food digestion
processes).
Total Metabolic Rate can be also referred to as the ‘metabolic
rate’ or simply as ‘metabolism.’

21
portions of 500 kcal, which gives you a great chance at feeling
satiated and taking joy in your meals. A smaller number of meals
in a diet means a lot of happiness while eating but what to do
about the time between meals? How to survive it? And won’t
a diet where moments when you eat your fill are interwoven with
longer periods without food have adverse effects on your health?
Let me leave the first question for the dessert, to be discussed
in the next chapter, and allow me to tackle the latter first.
As you know, prehistoric people did not have regular meals
because their access to food varied. To survive longer periods of
hunger they stored energy in the form of fatty tissue.
No look at your fat reserves and answer the question: Has
contemporary man lost the ability to store energy as a result of
evolution? If not, this means we are still ready to go through
longer periods without
Licensed food!
to Anna Nowadays
Denslow, there is a belief that if
[email protected]
we are hungry, this means that a number of negative reactions
take place in the body, while it is actually to the contrary.
Note that modern man keeps “throwing something inside
himself” all the time. He rarely lets hunger creep upon him,
which leads in elevated blood levels of sugar and other nutrients.
This renders tissues insensitive to the consumed substances
(a defence mechanism to their continuous overflow) and results
for instance in insulin resistance, and subsequently – in diabetes
and obesity. Wait a second, aren’t these contemporary lifestyle
diseases? Isn’t it interesting that the tremendous increase in the
incidence rate of these diseases coincides with easier access to
food, and with its more frequent consumption

22
(a lot of meals, snacks and grazing)? For your body to function
properly, you must only get down to a meal while being truly
hungry. Eating cannot be your solution to boredom... When you
are hungry, your body has a chance to become sensitive to
nutrients and make the best use of them and, which is equally
important, considerably draw from the fatty tissue reserves.
Don’t be afraid to be hungry between meals, this won’t hurt you!
On the contrary – you will do something wonderful for yourself,
and the thought of using your carefully accumulated reserves of
fat will give you the greatest motivation. You will be
additionally rewarded for the moments of hunger with
a delicious meal... Eaten to your fill!
Since high frequency of meals has no scientific explanation
and practical application, who do the media and
“nutritionLicensed
experts” promote
to Anna [email protected]
Denslow, every 2-3 hours so much?
Well, it’s usually all about... Exactly. The need to eat 5-6 or
more meals a day suits many companies, especially those from
the food and food supplement industry. Let’s take a look at the
advertising slogans we are being attacked with: “Hungry? What
are you waiting for? Have a snack!”, “Feeling slightly hungry?
Have a yoghurt!”. Cereal for a perfect beginning of the day,
a wafer for second breakfast, no later that at nine thirty. The
“time for a break, time for a snack,” fast food or instant soup for
dinner, preferably frozen pizza for supper or another ready-to-
eat dish. And of course snacks between meals: cookies, candy,
salty sticks, crisps, nuts. All this rinsed down with sweetened
beverages and juices to prevent your blood sugar level from
dropping even a bit. You already know the adverse consequences
of all this but the food industry doesn’t care. All that matters is
business. After all, if we ate three instead of six times a day (plus
snacks and beverages), the volume of our shopping would have
23
dropped at least by half. By leading us to believe that low sugar
level and the feeling of hunger is bad, they can easily encourage
us to make an additional unnecessary purchase. The food
supplement industry has also been taking advantage of our lack
of knowledge. Manufacturers are well aware that contemporary
man has no time to eat every 2-3 hours. Exploiting this situation,
they suggest that you take a supplement, a protein bar or at least
amino acids instead of another meal to protect yourself against
the alleged muscle catabolism. Note that twenty years ago there
were just a few food supplement companies in Poland, while
today's number is two hundred and fifty! It is yet another huge
business preying on the naivety of those who dream about a
perfect body. You will learn more details soon...

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

3 meals a day.

24
How to destroy the feeling of huger
[Tobiasz Wilk]

In the previous chapter, I promised to answer the questions

regarding longer intervals between meals. Let's start with how to
easily survive the hours of hunger. There is an excellent way to
do this. Combine all the longer intervals between meals to create
a fasting period of a dozen or so hours. Yes, you understood me
correctly, I encourage you to a twelve- to fifteen-hour period
without food (you can only drink water, tea, black coffee without
sugar during that time). You must be thinking yet again that I’m
mad because I was supposed to give you an easy way to burn fat
and nowLicensed
I want you to fast
to Anna for at [email protected]
Denslow, least half of a 24-hour period.
What kind of pleasure is that? No, I’m not a masochist. Please
be reminded that I hate being hungry and I love eating! This is
actually the main reason why I include intermittent fasting in my
diet. Let me explain this seemingly paradoxical idea.
First, the period of fasting includes sleep, which makes
things much easier as we sleep through the majority of that time.
For instance, if you set the beginning of your 14-hour fasting
period for 10 p.m., you can have the next a meal on the next day
at 12 p.m. Half of the readers will now think:
“I have missed breakfast a few times so it can be done, even if
it’s not too pleasant”, while the other half will think: “No way! I
cannot imagine a day without breakfast, I am bound to pass out
two hours later!” All of my clients to whom I suggested this
solution in their diet had the same reactions. However, it turns
out that our body is able to adapt to the majority of nutrition

25
models, usually needing no more than a few days for the process.
Yes, you are able to teach your body to crave food every 2-3
hours but you can teach it equally easily not to need breakfast or
supper. What happens after the adaptation period? A wonderful
situation – during the fasting period we basically do not want to
eat at all! And what happens next? An eating window lasting
several hours, with quite a lot of calories to be consumed – and
the main reason while I fell in love with diets with intermittent
fasting! It ultimately looks like this: you do not feel hungry for
the majority of the day, and when you finally really want to eat,
you have a real feast! True, there are moments when your self-
discipline is put to the test but they usually last no longer than
fifteen minutes and if you focus your attention on anything else,
the hunger goes away for many hours. You are probably
wondering if the appetite control effect will be comparable if you
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
eliminate dinner from your menu instead? Unfortunately, once
stimulated, the alimentary system demands food practically the
whole day, which is hard to stand. Having supper too late and
stimulating the stomach with an early breakfast often ends with
gastrointestinal problems. I have often tested this system and I
won’t recommend it. It seems that by skipping breakfast we can
put our whole alimentary system to sleep, thus giving it time to
additional rest and regeneration. It was a particularly important
piece of information for me because several months before my
first experiments with intermittent fasting I managed to cure the
gastric erosion I developed by excessive consumption of fibre
and aspirin when I had a cold. I was afraid that during the fasting
the stomach would secrete too much acid and since it would have
nothing to digest, it would start damaging itself. To my surprise,
no problems occurred during the fasting provided that I did not
stimulate the stomach with breakfast (or other calories in the
26
form of sweetened beverages). For the past four years that I have
been practising intermittent fasting in my diets I have not
experienced even the tiniest problems with stomach erosion,
hyperacidity or heartburn.
Fear of proper functioning of the alimentary system is
probably only one of your many doubts as to the safety of the
over dozen hours of fasting. I will try to allay them all. Let's start
with whether such a long period without food is natural. Think
about the part of the previous chapter where we discussed the
lifestyle of primeval people. With that knowledge, you can
answer this question. Yes, it was natural for prehistoric people
to eat irregularly and survive without food for longer periods.
You also know that only the period of fasting allows your body
to draw from the fatty tissue reserves in accordance with their
intendedLicensed
purpose.to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Still, even if the theory about the diet of primeval people
seems to make sense, there some will always say: “Over
thousands of years man has evolved, changed his diet and is no
longer adapted to long intervals between meals, fasting in
particular.” Really? If someone is not convinced by the argument
of contemporary people having fat reserves, I have a surprise for
them. Every year about one billion Muslims have Ramadan. It is
a monthly period of fasting where people eat nothing from dawn
till dusk (they are additionally prohibited from drinking fluids
during the day), and calories are supplemented in the evening. I
will not delve into the details of this religious tradition but I want
to draw your attention to the fact that Muslim countries are not
on the verge of extinction because of Ramadan, and even though
the “no water drinking” rule is quite dangerous, the hours of
fasting have no adverse effects on their health. On the contrary
– it turn out that a diet with intermittent fasting may offer
27
 a number of scientifically confirmed health benefits, the best
known being:
cleansing effects,
reduction of triglyceride level,
reduction of cholesterol level (improvement of LDL
to HDL ratio),
blood pressure reduction (those with low blood pressure
should not fast more than 12 h),
regeneration of the alimentary system (better liver function
test results – provided that gluttony is avoided after
the fasting),
increased tissue sensitivity to insulin,
body weight reduction (greater use of fatty tissue as a source
of energy).
These are of course
Licensed notDenslow,
to Anna the only beneficial health effects of
[email protected]
fasting. If you wish to learn more, you might want to find the
BBC film Eat, Fast and Live Longer on the internet, which gave
me additional motivation to prefect the dieting methods that
incorporate intermittent fasting (Please note! The quite drastic
nutrition model presented in the film is oriented towards the
improvement of health – the fat reduction was merely a positive
side effect).
At this point of the chapter, I purposely avoided giving any
links to scientific studies. Why? Because I want to encourage
you to experiment on your own. I am sure that if you decide to
try intermittent fasting, you will experience the majority of its
positive effects. All of my clients who had themselves regularly
tested noted a considerable improvement of results following
a nutrition programme with a dozen or more hours of fasting.

28
 Perhaps I have managed to allay your concerns regarding
the health impact of periods without food but you are still bound
to have a lot of doubt as to how you may feel while fasting. I have
already brought it up that over a half of my clients told me during
our first consultation that they cannot imagine a longer period
without eating, not to mention skipping breakfast. They were
convinced that they would be very weak and sluggish during that
time. They had concerns that stomach aches and headaches would
not allow them to function normally. I introduced fasting to their
diet gradually, to allow them to adapt easily. As a result, just
a few days later, even those who initially found the perspective
of not eating for a longer period terrifying called me and said:
“Tobiasz, I have no problem going through even 14-15 hours of
fasting!” After the adaptation, all of their worries were long gone.
There were no stomach aches or headaches at all, and their
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
energy* level was good. It turns out that short-term fasting fosters
psychomotor stimulation, which can be easily used for increased
activity, also intellectual.
The nutrition model I promote suits those who work a lot so
my clients are often businessmen. Many of them are CEOs of
large companies, and the dozen-hour fasting did not make it
difficult for them to manage even several businesses at once. On
the contrary, they always mentioned the great clarity of mind and
energy. They liked the idea of being finally able to devote their
time to work, forgetting about food. However what they loved the
most was that as they were leading this comfortable lifestyle,
their bodies were undergoing incredible changes for the better.

29
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

30
 The actual key to success in diets that incorporate
intermittent fasting is to have something to do. People often
avoid dieting, explaining that they have no time to eat 5-6 times
a day. Whenever I hear this, I always say: “That's great! I have
a plan that is perfect for those who are very busy.” Yes, this is
my brutal way of depriving people of excuses and making them
do something about themselves. Whenever we do something that
requires a lot of attention on our part, time passes quickly and
the time for our big meal comes before ewe know it. This
“something to do” can mean meetings (either business or social),
working on a computer, driving, shopping, watching an
interesting film or doing anything you like that would distract
you. It is the hardest to survive the fasting period when you are
sitting at home all bored with a fridge full of delicious things
right next to you.
Licensed to The
Annabest you can
Denslow, do in such circumstances is
[email protected]
to get down to some useful activities, preferably to leave home.

31
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Growth hormone – the elixir
of youth and perfectly shaped body
[Tobiasz Wilk]

The growth hormone (GH, somatotropin) is a polypeptide

hormone produced by the pituitary gland and controlled by
hypothalamus. Its impact on human body is incredibly versatile.
The majority of people think of the growth hormone as an
effective medication for dwarfism in children. It's true –
somatotropin stimulates the growth of most tissues in the body
(e.g. muscles, tendons, bones), mainly by increasing the number
rather than the size of cells. This hormone plays a crucial role in
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
the body regeneration and development processes but there is
more. GH level increases improve carbohydrate metabolism and
fat metabolism, reduce insulin resistance, are beneficial for
protein anabolic processes and undermine the catabolic impact
of cortisol on muscles. Somatotropin stimulates the breakdown
of fatty tissue while limiting the access to other energy sources,
which results in the body drawing energy mostly from
subcutaneous fat reserves.
Such miraculous properties of the growth hormone
encourage many athletes to undertake such treatment in the form
of injections of synthetic GH equivalents. The discouraging
factors are the considerable price of somatotropin (around a
thousand dollars per month) and the fear of side effects, the most
common one being acromegaly – with such symptoms as the
enlargement of mandible, nose, ears, hands and feet.
Additionally, the use of the growth hormone may result in the
33
enlargement of internal organs, such as heart, liver or kidneys.
Long-term somatotropin treatments also increase the risk of
cancer.
I do not encourage anyone to use a synthetic growth hormone.
I believe that any outside interference in a properly functioning
endocrine system is very unreasonable. Natural assistance for
the endocrine system may by a safe alternative to such a
solution. In the case of the growth hormone, it is important to
ensure sufficiently long and deep sleep. This is where the
secretion of the GH is the most intense. Those who sleep 8-9
hours a day burn the fatty tissue more easily and develop
muscles much quicker than those sleeping less than 7 hours.
Still, this does no exhaust the possibilities of increasing the
secretion of natural growth hormone. As research shows, long
hours ofLicensed
fastingtoconsiderably boost
Anna Denslow, the GH level:
[email protected]

Scientists from the Intermountain Medical Center (Murray,

USA) have demonstrated that fasting round the clock increases
the growth hormone level in women by 1300% and in men by
even 2000%! This may be an answer to the question of why
those who periodically fast lose more fat than those who eat
regularly 5-6 meals a day every 2-3 hours. Does this mean that
we should fast round the clock to achieve maximum effects! Not
necessarily. The Intermountain Medical Center has proven that
all the positive effects of fasting, including the increased
secretion of the growth hormone, are experienced during a 12-
hour fast (sleep included).

34
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

35
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
The curse of bodybuilders
– the overwhelming
catabolism* of muscles
[Tobiasz Wilk]

I remember my first reducing diet with intermittent fasting. I

had been reading a lot about the effectiveness of such regimes
and I was convinced that this would be an excellent way to get
rid of fat. At the same time, I was afraid to lose the muscles I had
been building for years. I tried to sleep as long as I could to
minimise the time of functioning without food and thus protect
the muscles. In to
Licensed terrible fear of losing
Anna Denslow, muscles (I used to eat five
[email protected]
meals a day), my fasting period lasted no longer than 12 h. How
surprised I was to discover after a few weeks of following that
diet that not only had I lost a lot of fat but I had also gained a little
muscle. So what’s the story with the muscle catabolism in longer
periods without food?
Anabolic and catabolic processes in the body are highly
complex. To be honest, we still don’t know all the metabolic

37
paths that regulate the muscle or fatty tissue building and
breakdown processes. The latest research shows that there are
many health (defence) mechanisms which prevent excessive
catabolism or anabolism of a particular tissue under extreme
conditions. As we examine the issue a little closer, we may
conclude that everything in our body follows the principle of
striving for balance, which we can upset only temporarily,
whether deliberately or unintentionally. Human body is a perfect
self-regulating mechanism which always fights for survival,
regardless of circumstances.
We know that during weight training we destroy muscle
fibres – this means catabolism. Our body tries to minimise this
by responding with anabolic signals (muscle building). In the
recent years, it has been discovered that human body behaves
similarly Licensed
during to longer periods
Anna Denslow, without food. It is
[email protected]
a breakthrough in nutrition science because it turns out that
intermittent fasting does not have to entail huge muscle losses
after all but it may even develop the muscle tissue as the body
sends numerous anabolic (defence) signals. The secretion of the
growth hormone, which I have described in the previous chapter,
is an example of such a reaction. If we eat a good dose of
nutrients after a longer period without food, they can be put to
a better use in the building of muscles owing to anabolic signals
(those that come from the consumption of food and which were
sent during the fasting). In short, a longer interval between meals
(possibly a periodic post) may bear fruit in the form of greater
muscle increase (greater anabolism). I am using the word “may”
because for this to happen, several conditions must be fulfilled.
The first one is proper weight training. You may ask now: “And
if I don’t exercise, does this mean that my body will respond with
increased anabolism (building) but of fatty tissue instead?” Yes
38
and no. The answer is simple. It all depends on how much you
eat after you end the fasting period. If during the so called “eating
window” you eat more calories that your total demand (above
the TMR), you can easily gain weight. But if you eat less that
your body needs, there will be no excess energy to be stored. If
you maintain the calorie deficit in your diet, the calories you
have eaten will be used to satisfy the current needs and to
supplement glycogen in muscles and in liver. In the former case,
fasting all day won’t help you if you eat a large pizza in the
evening, supplying more calories that your demand for energy. I
am writing this because I know many people who claim that
fasting for over ten hours won’t help you lose weight. And they
are right. I would even add that it may help you gain weight if
you do not control the calorie intake during the eating window.
Intermittent fasting may considerably minimise the feeling of
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
hunger, make it easier to function in accordance with current
lifestyle, support your health and let you enjoy your meals more;
still, it will never make you lose weight on its own!
I have mentioned before that the body responds to
anabolism with catabolism. However, at some point
an excessive quantity of catabolic processes may not be
balanced with anabolic signals. In the event of excessive
catabolism, the body switches from the “rebuild mode” to the
“survival mode,” i.e. sustenance of vital functions of the most
important organs. Thus way it gets rid of the least important
tissue from its point of view – muscles. This happens if we are
physically active for too long (long-distance running) or if our
physical activity is to intense (overtraining). Your body will
also start to get rid of muscles if the period without food
becomes too long. The question is: how long to fast before the
body switches to the survival mode? There is no scientific
39
research that would precisely specify how many hours into
fasting the catabolic processes in muscles start to dominate
without a possibility of being fully balanced out. The safe
timespan can only be estimated based on individual practice and
the experience of others. Having observed my clients, I have
noticed that noticeable muscle weight drops occurred if the
daily fasting period exceeded 15-16 hours. An equally
important argument against extending the fasting period
without a good reason is that it may dangerously strain the
alimentary system (especially the stomach, liver and pancreas)
as the pre-determined calories are eaten over too short a time
span (eating window).

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

or preserve muscles.

40
Breakfast – the most important
meal of the day?
[Tobiasz Wilk]

As you have probably noticed in the previous chapters,

I recommend fasting during the night and the first part of
the day. I suggest that the eating window begin with lunch and
end with supper. And what about breakfast? After all, it is the
most important meal of the day, right? It is said to start
metabolism for the whole day and keep us in good health. Is that
really so? Is there any scientific evidence to support this? I have
found none. Professional literature does not confirm these
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
theories. The myth about the need to eat breakfast has most likely
emerged as a result of faulty interpretations of the outcomes of
some research. Here are two examples:

These experiments have demonstrated that those who did not

eat breakfast were fatter and had worse blood test results. The
problem is that no one monitored the whole daily consumption
in detail in these experiments. The most frequent reason for
skipping breakfast is laziness or lack of time in the morning. This
leads to eating out. Such a meal usually has more calories and is
less nutritious. Additionally, human body is built this way that if
we skip a meal, it will encourage us to overcompensate for the
missed energy dose. One could say that if we skipping breakfast
leads to eating food that has more calories and is less nutritious,
which results in higher fat levels and worse test results. All this
41
is right – I have already mentioned that skipping breakfast or
fasting will not give the desired effects if we do not control what
we eat in the remaining time of the day. Guided by only taste and
our wishes, we will make up for the skipped morning calories
soon enough. Only deliberate fasting (not out of laziness or lack
of time and, importantly enough, without making up for it later)
and full awareness of what and how much we eat during the
eating window can bring success. It is not the absence or
presence of the morning meal that determines our health and
body fat level. It is important what meals we eat and in what
quantities during the whole day.
Skipping breakfast is not only harmless but it may be highly
beneficial. In the previous chapters I have mentioned the growth
hormone, which is of considerably supports the body shaping
processLicensed
and is beneficial for [email protected]
to Anna Denslow, health. You already know that
the GH secretion is the highest while you sleep. In the morning,
its level is still high but eating breakfast (especially
carbohydrates and proteins) leads to insulin boost – and insulin
is a growth hormone antagonist, reducing its level almost to
zero. After a period of sleep or a longer period without food,
insulin sensitivity is so high that sometimes all that is needed to
spoil the whole “fun” with the GH support is a dash of sugar in
our tea or milk in our coffee. This is why it is so important not
to consume anything during the fasting that could boost insulin
(for instance sweeteners) and thus thwart the secretion of the
growth hormone. The complete morning fasting will maintain
a high GH level and additionally promote its additional growth
until reaching a value above 1000% of the standard.
Skipping breakfast fits well in the plan of the day for the
majority of contemporary people. It helps us save time in the
morning, when we need it the most, or devote the additional
42
moments to longer sleep, which could mean better health and
more effective fat burning. The morning haste is also the best
time for fasting. The multitude of things to take care of at that
time makes it easy to forget about hunger, and the psychomotor
stimulation arising from fasting prompts us to act. In such
conditions, the time left to the first meal time passes very
quickly, which makes it much easier to follow a diet with
intermittent fasting.

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

for the fat burning process and for our health.

43
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Feasting in the evening – a way to
a body of your dreams?
[Tobiasz Wilk]

In the previous chapter I have mentioned that our body will

always strive for energy balance, regardless of our eating habits.
You already know that fasting will take you nowhere if you give
up dieting afterwards. So is it like this: you refrain from eating
for at least a half of the 24-hour period only to limit your
subsequent intake anyway to preserve the calorie deficit? And
where is this previously mentioned joy of eating? What is crucial
for you to enjoy your meals and make sure they are filling is not
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
only to the length of the fasting period to the length of the eating
window ratio but also the time of your meals. What you eat of
course determines how filling your meal is but whatever you eat
(the stomach has its limits too), you will be hungry again anyway
several hours (3-5 h) later. So the best solution is to have
a sufficiently long fasting period (12-15 hours) and the eating
window from the afternoon to the evening as this will keep you
satiated for the majority of the day until you go to sleep.
I usually divide the pre-determined number of calories for
a given day (with the pre-established calorie deficit) into three
meals (plus desserts on certain days) which are several hours
apart. For such regimes, it is important to end eating about 3-4
hours before you go to bed so you will fall asleep before you feel
noticeably hungry again. I warn you against eating immediately
before sleep and during night time. Going to sleep with full
stomach you will develop acid reflux sooner or possibly even
45
oesophageal cancer in the long run. Beginning the fasting period
not later than three hours before going to be is also important for
the increased secretion of the growth hormone as you sleep. If
the last meal is eaten early enough, the insulin (GH antagonist)
level will manage to drop before you fall asleep. This creates
excellent conditions for increased secretion of the growth
hormone during the night, which will translate to better
regeneration of the body and loss of fatty tissue.
When I suggest the afternoon and the evening as the time of
meals to my clients, they are often afraid that this will make
them gain weight or, in the best case scenario, prevent them
from losing any weight. They do not find my scientific
arguments convincing. The only way for them to accept this
regime is to hear positive opinions from those who follow these
rules. Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
The group of my first testers of a reducing diet that involved
pre-afternoon fasting included a Polish judo competitor Rafał
Filek. In his discipline, as in many others, it is important to have
the greatest possible strength accompanied by the lowest
possible body weight. They need a lot of muscle and low fat
level. When Rafał’s colleagues saw him eating big food
portions in the afternoon and in the evening at the training camp
and fasting for half of the 24-hour period, they told him: “Do as
you please but we think that by eating this way, you will get fat
and lose your muscles.” Imagine how surprised they were to
discover that after working with me for a few weeks, Rafał had
much less fat and noticeably more muscle

46
and strength! I have experienced similar situations with many of
my other clients. Scientific research also confirms that evening
meals absolutely do not impede fat burning, and may even help
improve the composition of the body. Here is an example:
.
This experiment shows greater fat losses in those who eat the
most in the second part of the day but slightly lower losses of
body weight when compared to the group that eats mostly in the
morning. This is because those who eat mostly in the afternoon
and the evening have kept much more muscle.

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

47
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Can you lose weight while eating
sweets?
[Tobiasz Wilk]

As you know, proper intermittent fasting can make a fatty

tissue reduction programme much easier and more pleasant. You
are also aware that fasting or skipping breakfast will not yield
noticeable effects if the diet does not have an energy deficit. But
if we meet this prerequisite, does this mean that we do not need
to pay attention to what we eat during the eating window? Is it
possible to lose weight eating for instance only sweets but
preserving a negative calorie balance?
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Theoretically yes but we must be aware that by eating only
worthless (junk) food you will lose not only weight but also
health. Another argument against such conduct is the loss of
muscle. This is connected with the absence of the required
quantity of complete protein in the diet. However, what makes it
basically impossible to lose weight by eating sweets only is the
fact that it is very hard to achieve satiety this way. Sweets are
usually products of relatively small volume but high calorie
content. Take note that during a reducing (low-calorie) diet it
may turn out that your daily food portion consists of just
3 chocolate bars.
You must be thinking that there is no room for sweets in a
reducing diet. And the taste of real chocolate in your mouth,
creamy ice cream... Who does not love it? After all, it is such
delight... Actually, for many people being deprived this treat
means giving up a considerable part of their joy of life. Do we
49
 really have to say goodbye to all this? We will discuss this issue
later. For the time being, I can promise you that I know a way
not to give up this pleasure while keeping the fat reducing diet
highly effective.
The purpose of this short chapter was to draw your attention
to what you eat during the eating window. This is crucial not
only for the effect that is fat loss but also for your:
health,
mood,
satiety and satisfaction,
composition of the body (preservation of the muscle tissue).

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

50
Protein – the main component of
a slimming diet?
[Tobiasz Wilk]

As I wrote in the previous chapter, a proper quantity of

protein is one of the basic elements of a diet oriented towards
weight loss. So how much protein should we eat? Should a half
of our daily calories come from protein, as many bodybuilders
claim? Or even more, as Dukan suggested in his diets? Is it really
a nutrient that considerably influences the fat loss rate?
Protein is primarily the building material for all the tissues of
human body and for many biologically active compounds, such
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
as enzymes and hormones. It allows the body to regenerate and
develop. The majority of those who care about looking fit are
interested in its impact on muscle preservation or increase. I
often hear the theory that since protein builds muscles, its
increased consumption allows us to build (or preserve) more
muscle. And what is the truth? In Podstawy nauk o żywieniu
[Rudiments of Nutrition Studies] by Jan Gawęcki, we can read
that:
The correlation between protein retention and consumption is directly
proportional. If protein consumption is gradually and systematically
increased (above the level required to keep the nitrogen balance), then
every subsequent single increase in consumption is followed by lower
increase in the protein body mass, according to the principle of
diminishing returns.1

1 Gawęcki J., Podstawy nauk o żywieniu, Warsaw 2008, p. 110

51
This quote shows that there is no point in eating more protein
that the body is able to use for tissue regeneration (expressed as
the nitrogen balance). How much exactly is it? We will find the
answer in the book by professor Jan Gawęcki:
According to physiochemical calculations, in order to synthesise 1 g of
the protein supplied in food, human body requires 24 kcal of energy,
which should be sourced from fats or carbohydrates (...). This is why it
is of paramount importance to ensure the right ratio of the energy
supplied in the form of protein to the energy supply* in the diet, referred
to as the proportion of energy from protein. In the period of growth, the
maximum use of complete protein is achieved with the participation of
12-14% of energy from protein. 2

What happens if this value is above 15%? Answering this

question, I will once again use the quote from the nutrition
textbook mentioned before:
This willLicensed
considerably exceed
to Anna the capacity
Denslow, to synthesise the body’s own
[email protected]
protein, and the excess amino acids (molecules of which protein is
built) will be utilised non-economically for energy purposes (straining
the kidneys and liver) or will be deposited in the form of fat (if the
calorie supply in the diet exceeds the demand of the body).3

This answer no longer requires a comment.

1 g carbohydrates = 4 kcal

1 g alcohol = 7 kcal

2 Gawęcki J., Podstawy nauk o żywieniu, Warsaw 2008, p. 182

3 Gawęcki J., Podstawy nauk o żywieniu, Warsaw 2008, p. 197

52
 Excess protein intake in reducing diets is often justified
otherwise than based on the building properties. This is the only
component that considerably enhances post-meal
thermogenesis, thus increasing the energy expenditure
connected with the digestion and absorption processes. What is
the effect? If we compare a balanced diet (consistent with the
principles of healthy nutrition) to nutrition based mostly on
protein (e.g. Dukan diet), we get a 10-15% difference in
metabolism. Is a weekly weight loss result better by 0.1 worth
endangering your health by forcing your body to use the building
material for energy-related purposes? I personally believe there
is no point in exceeding the 15% value established above for
energy supply from protein. However, periodic surges of this
level to maximum 35% (currently recognised as relatively safe)
may turnLicensed
out to be a relatively
to Anna Denslow,good risk to benefit ratio. What
[email protected]
benefits am I talking about if just a moment ago I mentioned that
you will neither build/preserve more muscles nor considerably
improve your metabolism by increasing your protein intake? The
answer is simple. A large quantity of protein in a meal helps you
feel satiated, and this is a feeling we strive for so much while on
a diet with an energy deficit. It is really hard to feel satiated after
eating a dish without any protein products, such as meat or
cheese. We will talk about this later, when I discuss a perfect
meal.
To conclude the chapter on optimum protein intake in
a reducing diet I must touch upon the issue of studies proving
that a sudden increase in protein consumption in a diet enhances
muscle anabolism, while reduced protein intake has opposite
results, i.e. it leads to catabolism. Curiously enough, such
responses of the body are observed regardless of the initial level
of daily protein intake. So if you increase its quantities in a diet
53
for instance from 150 g to 250 g, you may experience minimum
muscle development (if you do weight training). This is a two-
way reaction. By decreasing the protein quantities from 250 g to
150 g, you may notice slight muscle drops. I am writing about
this because I know many people are unaware that these are only
temporary reactions. After a few days human body adapt to the
new protein intake level and responds with neither enhanced
anabolism nor increased catabolism (provided that the intake
does not drop considerably to below 15% of the diet). I am
addressing this mostly to those who eat a lot of protein and are
afraid to reduce that level in fear of muscle reduction. Do not
fret, give yourselves a few days and the muscle development will
return to its right level. In the long run, you will benefit from this
change financially because protein is the most expensive
nutrient. Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
At the end of the chapter, I have a small surprise for you.
I have written that human body responds to increased protein
intake with boosted anabolism. It is the reaction to the elevated
blood amino acid (protein molecule) level. Until recently, it has
been believed that the greatest muscle development can be
achieved by maintaining a high amino acid level. As the most
recent study* and the slightly forgotten basic knowledge about
human physiology shows, the anabolic response of the body
most frequently occurs to surges of amino acid blood level. So

54
to support the development of the muscle tissue, is it a good idea
to periodically boost the protein content in diet? Theoretically
yes but such high intake would entail greater health risks (kidney
and liver strain). However, there is another way. Instead of
increasing the protein quantities in your diet, you may
temporarily reduce its level and let the amino acid concentration
drop. With small amino acid blood levels, the body will respond
to a standard protein portion just as if we had drastically
increased the intake. Such an effect can be achieved through
longer intervals between meals or intermittent fasting. A reduced
amino acid blood level will not cause any noticeable muscle
catabolism if the fasting period does not exceed 15-16 h, as I
have already discussed in the first part of the book. As you can
see, all the pieces start to come together. You begin to notice
more benefits
Licensedoftoshort-term fasting.
Anna Denslow, Do you want more?
[email protected]

• A temporary increase in the share of proteins in the energy

supply up to 35% is considered to be

55
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Carbohydrates in a reducing diet
[Tobiasz Wilk]

Longer intervals between meals or intermittent fasting can

make the body more sensitive to nutrients, for instance protein.
Let’s assume that you do not eat for 14 hours to boost the body’s
growth reaction to the surge of amino acid blood level.
Afterwards, you eat a solid portion of pure protein and what
happens? The anticipated stronger anabolic response is not
coming. Why is that? The majority of the ingested protein is used
to regenerate glycogen reserves, i.e. the energy accumulated in
liver and in muscles. We usually observe this after training,
especially if youtopractice
Licensed on an [email protected]
Anna Denslow, empty stomach (during fasting)
or during a longer interval between meals. You must remember
that your body always considers survival, and thus having energy
reserves, rather than muscle growth as its main priority. When
you are driving and you run out of fuel, do you think about
improving your engine or additional accessories? Not really.
You are looking for a way to refuel as soon as possible and only
once the tank is full will you think about how to upgrade your
vehicle, of course if you have extra cash. Remember this
comparison next time when you reach for a protein shake after
exercising. Make sure to first give the fuel rather than building
material if glycogen reserves are depleted – a situation where the
latter are not used as intended is not economical, either for you
or your body. What is

57
the most commonly used source of energy during training?
Carbohydrates (also known as sugars or saccharides). Their
presence in diets oriented towards the loss of fatty tissue is
considered as a truly controversial issue! Are they necessary for
whose on a reducing diet or maybe they make it harder to lose
weight? Let’s try and find the answer.
We can often hear that to burn fat we should avoid or even
eliminate carbohydrates from our diet. The main argument in
favour of this step is that carbohydrates increase the level on
insulin – the hormone that inhibits the fat burning process and
activates the depositing of fat. Such a brief presentation of the
issue leaves out certain material facts. I will attempt to give
a more detailed explanation. Small quantities of sugar in blood
(sugar as glucose since this is the only form in which it can
circulate Licensed
in the body) areDenslow,
to Anna used to satisfy the current needs of the
[email protected]
body. One of the most important functions of such small
quantities of carbohydrates floating in the blood system is the
continuous feeding of the brain and red blood cells, which need
140 and 40 grams of glucose respectively. When the blood sugar
level increases (for instance after a high-carbohydrate meal), the
body tries to remove its excess with insulin. This hormone
transports the excess glucose first to liver and to muscles (where
it is accumulated as glycogen), and if they are full – to the fatty
tissue. This information suggests that until the body does not get
the final stage, we may feel “safe.” It is good to know how much
glycogen you can accumulate. The liver is able to store 90-100
g of carbohydrates, muscles – 150-750 g (for fit athletes). You
probably think that you can eat quite a lot of carbohydrates
before they become embedded in the fatty tissue. However, you
must consider that glycogen reserves are rarely empty. Emptying
the reserves accumulated in the liver would require over ten
58
hours of fasting but what human body does then is produce
glucose from fats and proteins in a quantity of approx. 130 g a
day. For muscle glycogen, the situation is not so simple either.
To deplete it entirely you would need several/over ten hours of
intensive exercise. So does this mean that every major quantity
of carbohydrates we eat well be deposited as fatty tissue? Yes
but this is not of greater significance if we are on an energy
deficit diet because the body will be forced to take energy from
fat anyway to cover the deficit. So does this mean that you don’t
have to be careful with how much carbohydrates you eat as long
as the calorie balance remains negative?
If all we want is to lose weight, the quantity and distribution
of sugars in a reducing diet (with a calorie deficit) is not that
significant. But if we dream about a perfectly shaped body, we
will find Licensed
this issue of great
to Anna importance.
Denslow, You must be aware that
[email protected]
it is not possible to burn fat locally. You cannot achieve slimmer
legs without your arms getting slimmer as well. However, we
often see a very slim person with some really fat parts of the body.
This is resistant fat; men usually have it around the stomach and
women – in the area of thighs and buttocks. It turns out that these
places have much more receptors that inhibit fat burning (alpha-
2) when compared to those that support the breakdown of fat
(beta-2). To effectively attack resistant fat, you must deactivate
the former and boost the latter. How to do this? For the above
effect to be achieved, two conditions must be fulfilled. The first
one is the reduction of blood sugar level (insulin suppresses the
alpha-2 receptor), and the other one is an increased level of
catecholamines (adrenalin, noradrenalin), which activate the
beta-2 receptors. Coincidentally, both of these conditions are met
while you fast for a dozen or so hours... Isn’t it amazing? The
next time you start to complain about lack of energy and slight
59
irritation during a longer period between meals, you will know
that you have just begun burning the resistant fat! In such
moments, there is no use fuelling your negative emotions. Be
happy because you are just getting closer to a body of your
dreams!
Based on the above part of the chapter, you may conclude
that carbohydrates make it hard to achieve low fat level. So does
this mean that the best solution is to limit their consumption to
next to nothing, even in the eating window? No.
As I have already mentioned, a small quantity of
carbohydrates is essential for the functioning of the brain and red
blood cells. And there is more. They are also required for
complete fat burning. If consumed in too low quantities,
carbohydrates are metabolised to ketones, which acidify the
body. Hence the topopular
Licensed saying [email protected]
Anna Denslow, that fats burn in the fire of
carbohydrates.
For the above reason, the intake of sugars cannot be
excessively limited. What is their lowest quantity to be included
in a diet? Let's count: the brain and red blood cells need a total
of 180 g of glucose. This turns out to also be the quantity
required for proper burning of fats. The body is able to produce
130 g of glucose so all we need is to supplement 50 g of
carbohydrates. Balancing on the threshold of their minimum
intake is obviously not the best solution so scientific textbooks
suggest minimum carbohydrate intake between 50 and 100 g.

60
•

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

61
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
[Agnieszka Wilk]

In the previous part of this chapter, Tobiasz has defined the

optimum minimum quantity of carbohydrates in a reducing diet,
positioning them in the several-hour eating window. What he
didn’t mention is their type and quality. Is the recently popular
glycemic index and the degree of processing of carbohydrates
significant in the period of fatty tissue reduction? The answer is
not so simple because it depends on the aspect we are inquiring
about. I will try to explain all this thoroughly.
Let’s start with the definition of the glycemic index. It is
understood as the glucose blood level increase rate after the
consumption of products when compared to the increase
followed by the consumption of the same quantity of
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
carbohydrates in the form of pure glucose. A high glycemic
index points to a sudden blood sugar level increase to a level that
considerably exceeds the body’s needs. This will cause the
secretion of insulin, which reduces the excess glucose,
accumulating it in the form of glycogen or – when its reserves
are full – in the form of fatty tissue. As you already know, excess
insulin makes it considerably harder to shape your body (it closes
the possibility of burning fat from resistant places). Fasting for a
dozen or so hours makes it possible to keep this hormone at a low
level but what about the eating window? To prevent the insulin
level from growing significantly, you have to meet primarily the
following two conditions:
reduce the quantity of carbohydrates in a meal to
the required minimum;
eat carbohydrates with a low glycemic index.

63
 Point two may be sometimes skipped. How is that possible?
The glycemic index of a dish depends not only on the quantity
and quality of carbohydrates but also on the other
macronutrients. The fats present in a dish considerably slow
down the digestion and absorption processes, thus reducing the
glycemic index (slower sugar absorption to blood). Proteins have
the same property. However, in this case you must be more
careful. Even though proteins, and to be more precise – the
amino acids of which they are built, do not increase blood sugar
level, they lead to insulin boost. Still, this process is only
significant in the case of quickly absorbed proteins (for instance
whey proteins). A vast majority of protein products require long
digestion and do not cause an insulin surge.
Does this mean that if we take care about proper proportions
of macronutrients in a meal, we do not have to pay attention to
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
the glycemic index of carbohydrates?
Theoretically yes. But you must be aware that a majority of
carbohydrate products with a high glycemic index is highly
processed, and thus devoid of vitamins, minerals and fibre. They
are empty calories – products which are the source of energy
only. Proper functioning of the body requires using, on a daily
basis, products that have been processed as little as possible. But
picking carbohydrates with a high glycemic index from time to
time surely will not disrupt the effects of your diet. I will even
go as far as to say that in some cases this might be a better
solution. And I will not stop here... Eating more carbohydrates
with a high glycemic index and causing an insulin surge may be
sometimes very useful or even recommended.

64
Dessert – your enemy or friend?
[Agnieszka Wilk]

Relatively recently, in 1994, scientists discovered leptin –

a protein hormone that is secreted mostly by fat cells and plays
an important role in the regulation of food intake and of the
energy balance in the body. Learning how the hormone and its
receptors worked was a great breakthrough in the understanding
of the underlying causes of obesity and the problems connected
with the loss of fatty tissue. A high leptin level enhances the
metabolic rate, suppresses fat synthesis, increases fat burning,
decreases insulin production and – when combined with the
receptors in the
Licensed brainDenslow,
to Anna – clearly reduces appetite. Isn’t it
[email protected]
wonderful? It is almost possible to lose weight without feeling
hungry. So how can we boost the secretion of this miraculous
hormone? Here is the answer. Leptin level in the body depends
primarily on two factors:
the quantity of fatty tissue in the body (after all, it is
produced in fatty tissue – the more fat you have, the more
leptin you produce);
the energy supply in diet (in particular the intake of
carbohydrates – the more calories and sugars you eat the
greater the secretion of leptin).
If we consider these correlations, leptin appears as a guard
that will not let us gain weight. Leptin helps us lose
the unnecessary pounds when we eat too much

65
or when our fat level rises dangerously. All this looks really neat
but there is something wrong with the picture. Obese people
have a lot of fat, they often eat too much and consume large
quantities of carbohydrates – so why didn’t the high leptin level
make them slim? To answer this question, we must get a little
deeper into the biochemistry of our body. Just like every
hormone, leptin has a wide range of effects. It impacts the level
and activity of other hormones, such as androgens, oestrogens,
pancreatic hormones or insulin. It is precisely high insulin
increase that is the main alarm signal activating the secretion of
leptin. As I have already written, one of its primary tasks is to
reduce the production of insulin and to enhance the burning of
fat. All this would be working perfectly if it wasn’t for the fact
that nature did not predict such easy access to food as we have
today (instead, it prepared
Licensed us to survive
to Anna Denslow, when food is sparse).
[email protected]
Eating many meals a day and grazing between them, we lead to
a situation already mentioned by Tobiasz – the constantly
elevated blood level of nutrients increases the volume of the
body! Frequent and considerable surges of blood sugar level led
to insulin resistance. But before this happens, insulin and leptin
are secreted every time when a major quantity of glucose appears
in blood. If this mechanism is repeated too often, the body
becomes insensitive to the activity of leptin – it develops leptin
resistance.
Now you understand why obese people do not lose weight.
Even though they have a lot of leptin, their body has become
immune to its activity. As a result, it is hard for them to feel full
because the signal about satiety does not reach their brain. This
in turn leads to lack of moderation in eating and continued
development of letin resistance and insulin resistance and thus to

66
additional pounds. This vicious circle must be finally broken at
some point! But how?
As you already know, our body strives for balance. Certain
deviations, in whichever direction, are balanced by various
defence mechanisms. Just as repeated sugar and insulin surges
are neutralised with resistance (letin resistance and insulin
resistance), lack of their increase causes a response in the form of
growing immunity. If you want your body to respond to leptin
properly, you must:
eat less frequently and stop grazing between meals
(intermittent fasting may serve as additional support),
eat fewer calories,
eat as little carbohydrates as possible (making sure those
you eat have a low glycemic index),
exercise (anyto physical
Licensed activity
Anna Denslow, increases the sensitivity to
[email protected]
leptin and insulin).
As you keep following these recommendations, your
sensitivity to leptin will be growing but unfortunately its level
will drop significantly (also because of the drop in the fatty tissue
level). If you apply these restrictions for just a week, the leptin
level may drop even by 50% (but the sensitivity to leptin will
rise). This is probably not entirely what you had in mind. There
is an easy solution to this. Dessert. Yes, eating more
carbohydrates every few days to provoke an insulin surge may
rebuild leptin to a full 100% (without loss of sensitivity to leptin).
It turns out that skilful supply of major quantities of
carbohydrates (also those with a high GI) is the key to a properly
functioning metabolism and hormonal system, which
considerably facilitates the achievement of low fatty tissue level.

67
 You will learn more about how to properly manipulate
sugars to achieve the best results further in this book.

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

68
Modern world lives a lie
– the whole truth about fats
[Agnieszka Wilk]

Fats (lipids) represent the most condensed source of energy

for humans. One gram of fats gives as much as nine calories,
which is almost 2.5 times more than carbohydrates or proteins
(where 1 g = 4 kcal). Shouldn’t we avoid them if they have so
many calories? On the other hand, fats are often a rich source of
vitamins, substances adjusting the function of the whole
endocrine system (just as the infamous cholesterol) and the
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), which – as the name suggests –
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
are indispensible for proper functioning of the body. All across
the world, there are enthusiasts of high-fat diets, Paleo diets etc.,
who claim that their nutrition (with limited/no carbohydrates,
increased intake of fat) is the healthiest and helps lose the
unwanted pounds. Maybe this is the best road to success?
The advocates of low-carbohydrate (high-fat) diets very
often support their views by claiming that excess fat is excreted
by the body. As a result, you cannot gain weight so you can eat
it in any quantities you like.
It is true but this only applies if the intake of carbohydrates
and proteins is minimised. I will try to explain it the best I can.
According medical and nutrition textbooks, a healthy person can
digest and absorb no more than 8-12 g of fat per hour (average
value 10 g). Since the maximum period of food staying in the
small intestine (where the main fat digestion and absorption
processes take place) is usually 5-7 hours, we can estimate that
69
we are unable to absorb more than 50-70 g of fat from one meal.
You may test this on yourself if you want and try to eat more
than 70 g of fat in one meal. The experiment will end in
diarrhoea (or loose stool), and in extreme cases – nausea and
vomit. But what happens if we eat several smaller portions of
fat? The body will absorb everything without problems. Even if
we take into account such an extreme situation where small
quantities of fat are eaten many times during the day, the time
limitation still remains, which is 240 of absorbed fat a day (with
the average rate of 10 g/h). Out of 240 g fat we get 2160 kcal (1
g = 9 kcal). If we add the minimum protein content of 65 g (260
kcal, 1 g protein = 4 kcal) and the minimum carbohydrate supply
of 50 g (200 kcal, 1 g carbohydrates = 4 kcal), we get a diet with
an energy value slightly above 2500 kcal (2160 kcal + 260 kcal
+ 240 kcal = 2620 kcal). To conclude, if we maintain low protein
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
and carbohydrate consumption, we do not have to worry about
the quantity of ingested fats because our body will not allow us
to draw more than 2500-2600 calories from such food. Will such
quantity of energy let us survive? 2500 calories is a value close
the total demand of an average not too active person. Gaining
weight with such calorie intake is in most cases highly unlikely.
But will 2500 kcal be enough to lose weight? If you are severely
overweight (or obese) and your total demand is definitely higher
than this 2500 kcal, you obviously get a calorie deficit and you
lose weight. But if your fat level is average (or you are only
slightly overweight) and you dream about a perfectly shaped
body, a low-carbohydrate diet with unlimited fat intake may not
be enough to give you the right calorie deficit and thus the results
you strive for.
You may find this confusing. I will try to put it a little
differently, using questions and answers.
70
 Can you gain weight by eating too much fats?
If you eat only fat, it is practically impossible but if you eat
too much other macronutrients (proteins and carbohydrates) at
the same time, you can gain weight.
But if you eat unlimited quantities of fats (with low intake of
carbohydrates and proteins), can you lose weight?
Yes, if your total calorie demand exceeds 2500 kcal. No, if it
is lower and you are fighting for a well shaped body.
So what do you have to do to achieve very low fat level?
Unfortunately you need to have all macronutrients under control,
with attention paid to their proper proportions. Still, it is not as
difficult as some may think. Further in this book, you will
receive all the necessary tips that will make you the best
professional dietician for yourself.
Now let's look into an equally important issue, that is the
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
impact of the fats we eat on our health. We can divide fats into
those of animal origin and those of plant origin. The former are
mostly saturated fatty acids, while the latter offer a wealth of
unsaturated fatty acids (including EFAs). In the recent years,
animal fats have been considered to be the main cause of heart
diseases and obesity, while vegetable fats have been seen as
a symbol of health and fitness. Is this really true? Not entirely.
To be honest, it is often to the contrary. I know that the above
statement may be shocking for many so I want to precisely
explain the deliberate disinformation about the consumption of
proper lipids, wide-spread in modern world.
Let’s start from vegetable fats, commonly recognised as “the
good ones.” As I have already mentioned, they are necessary for
proper functioning of the body but not in the form in which they
are usually eaten. Human diet cannot be dominated by vegetable
fats. Their long-chain structure make them a rather poorly
71
available source of energy, which suggest that their main
purpose is completely different. They are mostly the source of
the unsaturated Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), which the human
body is unable to produce on its own. However, all you need to
cover their demand in 100% is just a few teaspoonfuls of
properly selected oils. If you want to create such a perfect
composition on your own, you must know that there are two
Essential Fatty Acids:
– this is the basic
Omega-3 acid, best sourced from cold-pressed linseed oil
(53% content) and rapeseed oil (only 10%);
– the basic Omega-6 acid, found in
abundance in cold-pressed sunflower oil, primrose oil or
grape seed oil.
Any other unsaturated
Licensed fatty acids,
to Anna Denslow, for instance the Omega-3
[email protected]
acids EPA, DHA coming from fish, are not essential. Having the
two basic Essential Fatty Acids (ALA and LA), human body is
able to produce any derivatives of these acids it needs (such as
EPA or DHA) on its own. But for this to happen, we must supply
the right portion of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids in our diet,
which should fall within the range of 1:1 and 1:5. The diet of
many people contains far too many Omega-6 fatty acids (often
in such proportions as 1:20-40), which when in excess
considerably limit the metabolism of Omega-3 (both acids are
converted by the same enzymes) and have pro-inflammatory
effects.
To provide the body with proper quantities of the basic
Essential Fatty Acids in the right proportions, eat one teaspoonful
of linseed oil and 1-2 teaspoonfuls of sunflower oil (both cold-
pressed) a day.

72
 The other issue related to proper consumption of vegetable
fats is how they are served. There is a reason why I have
emphasised on a few occasions that they must be cold-pressed.
This is the form in which they should be eaten. Essential Fatty
Acids are highly temperature-sensitive. Heating processes
damage their structure, make them lose their beneficial
properties, as well as turning them into a mortal hazard. The
same applies to the production of hardened fats (margarines),
where the natural structure of unsaturated acids is deliberately
destroyed (hydrogenation changes its configuration from “cis”
to “trans”). And all this to create a cheap butter substitute with
a wide range of applications – sadly, very harmful to our health.
Hundred of scientific works agree that the main cause of cancer
is the consumption of damaged fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty
acids areLicensed
the basictobuilding material
Anna Denslow, of all cell membranes but
[email protected]
our body cannot tell whether it has received them in the right
form or if the material is defective. If the lipid membrane is
made of damaged fatty acids, the cell is deprived of proper
protection against the external environment, which results in
uncontrolled exchange of nutrients with its interior. These
irregularities in the functioning of the cell result in its mutation,
that is carcinogenesis. Yes, the scientists have known the main
cause of cancer for years so is why nothing being done about it?
Eating damaged fatty acids is not only a short way to cancer but
also, as it turns out, one of the main causes of the formation of
atherosclerotic plaque. Additionally, trans fats block the process
of the basic Omega-3 acid (ALA) changing to its derivatives
(EPA, DHA). Do you understand now the importance of
supplying vegetable fats in the right form?
Why doesn’t this problem get any media coverage? As you
probably guess, it is again about the money. Damaged fatty acids
73
are currently present in the majority of food products,
considerably reducing the manufacturing costs. Other than in the
already mentioned margarines, you will find them in sweets,
confectionery products, chips, crisps and any types of ready-to-
eat dishes (it’s best to read the labels!). Moreover, we often
poison ourselves by using popular vegetable oils for frying and
baking. So which fat should be heated on the frying pan or added
to the dough? And what's the deal with shop shelves being full
of vegetable oils advertised as perfect for frying and baking?
We should look for the answer by going back to the times
when the world was free of the cancer epidemics. What fat was
used for frying then? What did your grandparents use? They used
the raw materials that were the most available – home-made
butter was used for baking, and lard was used for frying. Animal
fats are perfect
Licensed for thermal
to Anna processing.
Denslow, They contain mostly
[email protected]
saturated fatty acids which are not prone to changes under
temperature. Yes, animal fats contain practically no healthy
EFAs, which is very good because nothing in their composition
can change to carcinogenic substances.
However, over the past decades, to support the oil business,
we have been brainwashed into thinking that saturated acids are
the main cause of cardiovascular diseases and obesity. We have
been scared with high cholesterol levels and fed with a solution
that involved replacing animal fats with vegetable oils. This false
propaganda lasts to this day. Fairly recently, an advertising
agency I know was approached by a manufacturer of vegetable
oils and margarine known nationwide. The company wanted
training materials for... confectioners and bakers. You can easily
guess what this “professional training” was to be about. I will
only add that no confectionery master with any self-respect
would ever switch from butter to margarine or oil.
74
 Let's come back to the issue of animal fats being allegedly
harmful to the blood system. They are often said to be the main
cause of the atherosclerotic plaque. However, its composition has
been tested multiple times and no traces of animal fats were
found. Today we are certain that the underlying cause of
atherosclerosis is somewhere else. But this is not the focus of this
book; those who wish to learn more are encouraged to visit our
website ]. The second most popular argument
against the consumption of animal fats is the high cholesterol
level. The lie in this case is even bigger. First of all, cholesterol
is not something bad. On the contrary – it is required for instance
for the production of bile acids, many hormones and vitamin D3.
Secondly, the majority of cholesterol is produced in the body, and
its efficiency in food is compensated for by increased production,
and the Licensed
other way round.
to Anna Thirdly,
Denslow, a significantly increased
[email protected]
cholesterol level is not a disease but only a symptom! It is an
indicator signalling that something is not working properly in the
body. In such circumstances, cholesterol reduction using drugs
only eliminates the symptoms rather than the causes. Why is such
pseudo-treatment applied on a daily basis at a mass scale? It’s
again about the money. Cholesterol medications, namely the
popular statins, are a profitable business, especially since
maximum cholesterol level standards are artificially lowered
every few years at such pace that soon we will all have the
“cholesterol disease.”
Considering that improper consumption of fats is mortally
dangerous, I would like to summarise this part of the chapter as
well.
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) must be supplied every day
(ALA and LA) as a teaspoonful of linseed oil and two
teaspoonfuls of sunflower oil (both cold-pressed). Remember to
75
store them properly (keep linseed oil in the fridge) and keep in
mind their short shelf life.
Do not use vegetable oil for frying and baking. The more
EFAs it has the more carcinogenic substances will be formed
under high temperature.
For frying, use lard, fat melted from fried meat, butter (short
frying) or coconut oil (it is a special vegetable fat that consists
mostly from saturated fatty acids so it resembles animal fat in
terms of structure and properties).
Always use butter (you can use the melted form if the recipe
so requires) or coconut oil for baking. Do not hesitate to use sour
cream, double cream – they are animal fats too.
While shopping, avoid products that contain hardened
vegetable oil or any other vegetable oil (other than coconut oil) if
you knowLicensed
that making
to Annathe [email protected]
Denslow, required higher temperatures.

76
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
“Healthy food” does NOT equal
“weight loss food”
[ Agnieszka Wilk ]

Let’s continue with the issue of health for a moment. I often

meet people convinced that healthy food will help you be fit.
And the other way round – “fit” products are often associated
with healthy food. It must be clearly stated that we are dealing
with two separate groups of food products. These areas may have
something in common but it practice it is rarely so.
Let’s begin with the so called “healthy food.” Actually, we
should start with whether we mean an organic product, which may help
improve Licensed to Anna
or preserve our Denslow,
health, [email protected]
a pseudo-healthy product that is
generally believed to be healthy (more about it on our website
). Let’s assume that we are dealing with actual
healthy food. The very fact that a product has valuable
ingredients does not actually mean that it is a low-calorie
product. I met people who ate healthy food but were fat on
numerous occasions. They often came to me with the question:
“What am I doing wrong?” An analysis of their daily menu
revealed the predominance of the following products:
top-quality greasy meat,
oily fish (salmon, herring, mackerel),
high-fat cheeses,

78
 cold-pressed oils,
nuts and seeds,
leguminous plants,
high-calorie fruit, such as bananas and avocado,
wholegrain sourdough bread
oatmeal cookies and other wholegrain snacks,
red wine.
True, the majority of these products are considered
nutritional. But we also must be aware that they are real calorie
bombs. When I tell my clients this, I often hear them trying to
explain themselves. They usually say that they only eat small
quantities of these products. But if someone says that, they
usually do not understand the concept of a calorie bomb. It is
a product that provides a lot of calories in small volumes, mostly
due to theLicensed
presence of large
to Anna amounts
Denslow, of fats. The most common
[email protected]

example of a calorie bomb is a doughnut – a small pleasure

supplying 350 kcal. But not everyone knows that a portion of
greasy meat or oily fish is 500 kcal, just as many as several
tablespoonfuls of oil, which we eagerly pour over every salad.
Two fistfuls of nuts is as much as 600 kcal, similarly to
a standard pack of oatmeal cookies. With a daily diet composed
of 5-6 meals that are small but based on healthy calorie bombs,
you can easily get a few thousand calories, not to mention the
disastrous snacks. Do not misunderstand me, I am not trying to
discourage you from eating such products. They are wonderful
in many aspects but their uncontrolled consumption will close
your door to a slim body.
Let’s now take a look at products dedicated to those who are
trying to lose weight and stay in shape. The rapidly increasing
interest in body shaping noted in recent years did not remain

79
unnoticed by food companies. After all, this “fitness trend”
offers excellent new ways to make money, hence the abundance
of products with words “light,” “fit,” “fat free,” “sugar free,”
“less calories” in their names. Unfortunately, in their attempts to
reduce the calorie content of such products, the manufacturers
usually remove the most valuable components, replacing them
with synthetic fillers, caking agents and sweeteners. Fat-free
products obviously do not have fat-soluble vitamins and fatty
acids, often beneficial for health. And although removing sugar
from a product may be a good idea, adding artificial sweeteners
instead – not so much. The potential harmful effects of
sweeteners have been the subject of numerous contradictory
scientific research. If you start to examine this issue, you will
quickly find the information that the majority of experiments
concludedLicensed
with topositive results were controlled by food
Anna Denslow, [email protected]
concerns. The only sweeteners considered safe now are stevia
and xylitol but we are still uncertain whether or not they affect
the insulin level.
I personally do not recommend experimenting with “fit-
type” inventions. It is much more reasonable to use wholesome
products (even though they contain more calories). Use them
wisely, in smaller quantities, or simply less frequently.

80
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
 Supplements
– innovative discoveries of science?
[Agnieszka Wilk]

A few years ago, when I met Tobiasz and learnt about his
passion for shaping his body, I found him a little weird. He ate
every 2-3 hours and every few moments he swallowed some
capsules or blended various powders in the shaker. I asked him
why he ate like this and what he needed all these supplements
for. He explained that it was the only way of eating that led to
a well-shaped body, that these capsules contained “innovative
discoveries of science,” allowing him to achieve better results.
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
In time, I caught the bug too, and I subordinated my life to the
regime of a monotonous diet and extensive supplementation,
believing that I am following the best way to a fit figure.
Changing my daily life into torture, I managed to get into
a contender shape, as I mentioned at the beginning of the book.
But seeing how much sacrifice all this cost me, I often thought
it was not worth it. Not for that price. The price of normal life.
I kept wondering whether this was really what the daily rhythm
of someone caring about their body had to look like. If there
was no alternative. If there wasn’t any way of shaping your
body that would allow you to live a normal life. Then
I remembered a picture of my grandfather from his youth..
The man in the photo was perfectly built, his body could
invoke admiration even today.
I quickly showed this picture to Tobiasz. I told him: “Look,
my grandfather did not eat six meals a day, there were no
82
supplements at that time but still he was in just as good shape as
you are now.” The photograph made a big impression on
Tobiasz but it mostly made him question whether everything he
had read in the magazines and on websites devoted to
bodybuilding was true. This was when we both started to
meticulously look for scientific evidence in support of the
nutrition and supplementation theories repeated over the past
years. The more carefully we examined the issue, the more
simple rules we discovered, which are almost invisible in the
today's tangle of marketing rubbish.
How has our approach to nutrition changed since then?
You know this from the previous chapters. And how about our
extensive supplementation? Tobiasz will present this issue
further in this book.
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

83
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
[Tobiasz Wilk]

95% of the supplements existing in the market do not work

at all, have insignificant (unnoticeable) effects or their effects
come down to the same role as food. However, this 5% of visible
effectiveness was the anchorage for marketing of a wide range
of various unnecessary products. How huge the supplementation
business is can be inferred for instance from the number of
companies in Poland that offer body shaping products. Despite
the multitude of packages, you will find the same substances in
each of them, only in different quantities and proportions.
Actually, it is hard to tell whether a company is notable because
you will find both more and less valuable ingredients in all
productLicensed
lines. Sotowhere to [email protected]
Anna Denslow, your money?

Supplements supporting
the reduction of fatty tissue
To be honest, they do not exist... But I will elaborate on this
topic – just for you.
Fat burners and thermogenics – products based mostly on
thermogenic substances which increase the energy expenditure
(metabolic rate) by prompting the body to give off heat. The
most popular ingredients with such effects are:
caffeine,
green tea extract,

87
 bitter orange extract,
guarana extract,
black pepper extract,
white willow bark extract,
ginger extract,
yerba mate,
tyrosine,
raspberry ketones,
capsaicin.
In theory, such a product is excellent. There are plenty of
scientific reports on the positive effects of thermogenic
substances. So why do I refrain from recommending these
preparations?
Unfortunately, thermogenic preparations perform poorly in
practice. By making
Licensed to aAnna
strong real coffee,
Denslow, you will get an effect
[email protected]
similar to the most modern thermogenic. Besides, protein is the
most thermogenic substance. Its increased (even if lightly) share
in a diet yields much better results than the said product. Still,
remember that even high-protein diets will not make you lose fat
at a double rate. The outcome is not spectacular enough to risk
your health by straining your kidneys and liver, as I have said in
the chapter on protein.
L-Carnitine – a substance responsible for the transport of
fatty acids to mitochondria. This is where fats undergo the
changes that produce energy. L-Carnitine supplementation
theoretically accelerates fat burning... Theoretically... In
practice, the effect is unnoticeable.
High-protein supplements – it’s clear protein has strong
thermogenic properties and its increased quantity in diet is
useful during the period of fatty tissue reduction. Still, high-

88
protein products have a certain advantage over these
supplements. Real food, such as meat, fish, eggs or cheese, will
leave you feeling fuller than a protein cocktail. This is
particularly important in a reducing diet, where you eat little
due to the calorie deficit I think it is stupid to skip a part of
a meal in favour of a beverage that will not give us satiety.
Fibre preparations – fibre consists of non-assimilable
carbohydrates that are not digested in human gastrointestinal
tract. Despite the fact that fibre is not the source of any nutrient
for the body, it is very important for proper functioning of the
alimentary canal. The basic properties of fibre:
it increases the volume of food by binding water, which
leaves us feeling satiated,
it stimulates blood supply to the bowels,
it enhances
Licensed tothe secretion
Anna [email protected]
Denslow, gastric juices,
it supports the movement of the large intestine by
stimulating its walls,
it provides protection against constipation and
gastrointestinal diseases (including cancers),
it has prebiotic effects, supporting the development of
beneficial bacteria in the bowels,
it limits the absorption of toxins.
Excess fibre is not recommended either. Its high intake is
connected with excessive secretion of gastric acid and limited
absorption of protein and minerals. Too much fibre may cause
unpleasant intestinal problems, such as flatulence and
diarrhoea. The recommended daily intake of fibre is 25-40 g.
Eating vegetables and wholegrain products 2-3 times a day
completely satisfies the demand of the body for that
component. Fibre has no miraculous fat burning properties.
89
Treat a proper quantity of fibre as an element of a well
balanced diet which is beneficial for your health and supports
you a little in your struggle for the body of your dreams.
Omega-3 (capsules) – the right proportion of Omega-3
acids in diet is very important for proper functioning of the
body, which Agnieszka has discussed in the chapter on fats.
Furthermore, various research and, what is more important,
practical experience clearly shows that Omega-3 fatty acids
accelerates fat loss. So why do I not recommend
supplementation with Omega-3 capsules? Because all such
preparations only contain the derivatives (EPA, DHA) of the
basic Omega-3, which does not completely resolve the issue
of the deficiency of this Essential Fatty Acid family. It is much
better to add small quantities of cold-press linseed oil to the
preparedLicensed
dishes as it is the
to Anna best source
Denslow, of the basic Omega-3
[email protected]
acid, that is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), from which the body
is able to produce all the required derivatives. These changes
will be of course only possible if we limit the supply of
Omega-6 and eliminate trans fats from our diet, as described
by Agnieszka in detail earlier in this book. Additionally, we
are protected against Omega-3 deficiencies if we have
ecological eggs or wild salmon on our daily menu, as these are
good sources of these healthy fats.
Anti-catabolics (amino acids, branched-chain amino
acids) – BCAA and other substances that are to protect you
against the alleged muscle catabolism. By eating complete
protein in proper quantities, you supply your body with all the
amino acids you need in the right proportions. And if the
intervals between the meals (“delivery” of proteins / amino
acids) last a few hours? In the previous chapters of the book
I have explained that if you do not fast more than dozen or so
90
hours, muscle catabolism practically does not occur, and
bigger intervals between meals additionally make the body
more sensitive to nutrients.

Supplements supporting muscle

growth
Such products have little in common with the reduction of
fatty tissue but their anabolic activity in respect of muscles may
be useful for those who are more advanced if they wish to
preserve more muscle or stimulate further muscle development
in the period of losing fat. In fact, the previously mentioned 5%
of supplements with visible effects come down to these products.
They do not yield spectacular results but their impact on the
development of strength and muscle is clearly noticeable.
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Creatine – for over two decades, it has been the strongest
supplement boosting muscle growth, strength and muscle
endurance over a relatively short period. And what’s important,
this happens without any side effects. Scientists are still trying
to create a product as powerful as creatine but nothing like this
has emerged thus far. Creatine is the driving force of the whole
sports supplement business as it made people believe that
supplements are effective. This confidence is seriously abused
nowadays, especially in the sale of a wide range of products
which do not contain ingredients yielding any major benefits.
But let's come back to creatine itself because this is where
manufacturers come up with various “advanced” formulas and
“the most effective” ways of taking this substance in order to
make as much money off the consumer as possible. The truth is
that regardless of the form and of how you take it, the final result
will be exactly the same. Muscles have a specific creatine
91
capacity. If you take larger daily doses and more stable forms,
you will achieve saturation sooner. The effects will be greater
but they will end sooner. The situation is reverse when you use
small doses and a more basic formula. Your strength and
muscles will grow slowly but over a longer period. From an
economical point of view, the second method is more viable.
Irrespective of the adopted method of use, the saturation must
be followed by at least a one-month interval. The point of
incorporating creatine supplementation in the period of fat
reduction must be analysed from a double perspective. First
remember that the more advanced you are in weight training,
the harder it is to develop (or preserve) muscle when compared
to the beginners. It is best to train for a few years first before
reaching for supplements. Secondly, the fat reduction period
(calorie deficit) effectively impedes muscle development. The
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
use of creatine during that period will allow more advanced
practitioners to preserve (or even grow more) muscle but at the
same time will limit the potential of that supplement. Perhaps in
some cases it would be better to wait with the use of creatine
until the stage of muscle building (that is until the calorie level
in a diet is equal to or slightly exceeds the daily demand).
Testosterone boosters – these are products created mostly
for men in order to bring the testosterone level to its natural
upper threshold. Since these values do not considerably differ
from standards, such supplements do not disrupts the hormonal
balance of the body (contrary to steroids). And as a result they
do not have side effects. Elevated testosterone levels support
quicker regeneration of the body, enhance the strength and
muscle, and boost libido. Testosterone boosters are very useful
for men during long-term fat reduction because having a calorie
deficit for months may considerably weaken hormonal balance.
92
 The effectiveness of such products depends to a large degree on
the baseline testosterone level. If the person is young and eats in
accordance with their demand, the effects may be unnoticeable.
But for men above the age of twenty-six who are additionally on
a reducing diet, testosterone boosters may bring visible positive
results (but not as great as creatine). The composition of these
products is usually based on:
herbal extracts (e.g. fenugreek extract, puncture vine
extract),
vitamin D (necessarily in combination with vitamin K2
MK-7),
D-aspartic acid (DAA) in combination with vitamins E
and B6 and zinc.
The market offers a wide range of products supporting muscle
growth but to
Licensed I will
Annanot discuss
Denslow, them since they have barely
[email protected]
any effects.
Essentially, whether you want to grow muscle or shape your
body, your actions must always be based on a suitable diet.
Supplements are merely a small addition.

93
A perfect meal during
a reducing diet
[Tobiasz Wilk]

Let’s see what criteria must be met by a perfect meal in

a reducing diet:
It must be a low-calorie meal (which is obvious, otherwise
it is hard to compose a diet with a calorie deficit).
It must contain the right quantity of complete protein.
It should be a source of small quantities of EFAs and fibre.
It should offer abundance of vitamins and minerals.
It Licensed
should contain little carbohydrates
to Anna Denslow, (preferably from
[email protected]
unprocessed sources).
Despite having little calories, it must have a relatively big
volume and be filling.
It must keep you full and energised for a few hours.
It must be tasty.
The last three criteria may only be met if macronutrients are
well combined. What are the best proportions? If you eat high-
protein meals with minimum fat and carbohydrate quantities,
you will feel satiated only at the moment of eating. High-
carbohydrate but low-protein and low-fat meals will give you the
most satisfaction a moment after eating but still for a very short
time (about 2-3 hour). Greasy meals taste excellent and give you
energy for many hours but if they contain almost no proteins and
carbohydrates it will be hard to feel satiated and satisfied once
you finish eating.
94
 Over the past years, I have tested various combinations of
macronutrients for meals in a reducing diet (with a calorie
deficit). In addition to considering the effectiveness and health
benefits of a particular combination, I paid attention to taste
values and to how long I felt satiated and energised (wonderful
mood obviously cannot be expected on a reducing diet but I was
satisfied with “relatively good” mood). What was the outcome
of my years of experience? It has turned out that the best
solution, a compromise between all the above criteria, is
a protein to carbohydrate to fat energy ratio close to 1:1:1. This
means that all the said macronutrients in a meal represent about
33% of the energy supply of the whole dish. Since fats have
almost 2.5 time more calories than proteins and carbohydrates,
there will appear in much smaller quantities. For a standard
portion intended for a man on a reducing diet, the weight of
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
particular macronutrients may be as follows:

Calorie content of a reducing meal for a man – about

525 kcal
Protein – 45 g (45 g × 4 kcal = 180 kcal = ca. 34%)
Carbohydrates – 45 g (45 g × 4 kcal = 180 kcal = ca. 34%)
Fats – 18 g (18 g × 9 kcal = 162 kcal = ca. 31%)

95
 From a practical point of view, there is obviously no need to
prepare dishes following the above calculations. Deviations of
several percent (no more than 10%!!!) from the values I have
given will not affect the effectiveness of the diet and will
definitely give you a lot of freedom in the creation of your
favourite dishes. To make the task easier for you, I have
developed a detailed base for meals which can be used to build
your reducing diet.

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

96
Average nutritional values: protein 30 g, total carbohydrates 36 g (including fibre 7 g), fats 12 g

– 35 g any groats !

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

Average nutritional values: protein 45 g, total carbohydrates 55 g (including fibre 10 g), fats 18 g

– 50 g any groats !

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

Each of the meals consists of 4 elements:
the protein part,
the carbohydrate part,
the fat part,
the fibre part.
To keep the perfect proportions of the above reducing meal, you
cannot eliminate, or change the values of, any element. Only
several-percent deviations from the basic assumptions are
acceptable.
The protein part – it should be based on lean (but not
necessarily extremely lean, the fat content should not exceed 5%)
meat, fish, cheese and eggs. I deliberately listed red meat first. It is
heavier than poultry so the feeling of satiety lingers for a longer
period. Remember
Licensed totoAnna
choose the leanest
Denslow, parts of beef (for instance
[email protected]
tenderloin, eye of round, round) or pork (e.g. tenderloin, leg, loin)
without any greasy elements (usually white). There is no such
problem as far as veal is concerned because each of its parts has
less than 5% of fat, and the value rarely exceeds 3%. Poultry is
usually even leaner and lighter than red meat. If you are wondering
which meat to choose, I suggest you consider primarily its origin
and the conditions in which the animal lived. If you have access to
organic chickens, use this source as much as possible. But if you
do not trust the place where you buy poultry but you know where
to get excellent pork, go and find leaner chunks of that meat there.
Whether the food is organic or not obviously will have no direct
impact on your figure but consumption of “contaminated” food
will affect your health and thus also your physical shape.
Fish are a slightly worse substitute of meat. Of course
eliminate farmed fish, that is iridescent shark, tilapia and

99
Norwegian salmon. Why is that? I suggest you search the
YouTube for Cała prawda o rybach (Whole Truth about Fish).
Then we exclude oily fish (e.g. herring, mackerel, eel). This is
because of two reasons. First, the high fat content will not allow
you to achieve a low-calorie meal. Secondly, fish fat contains the
most toxins. Caring about our health, we should also limit the
consumption of large fish (e.g. tuna, salmon), which are at the end
of the food chain and as such are able to consume the most
substances that are harmful to our health (e.g. heavy metals). What
fish should we eat? All small and medium-sized fish, white with
low fat content, non-farmed (e.g. cod, blue grenadier sole, walleye
pollock, hake, wild salmon).
White cheese may be a fairly good meat substitute. Because
some people have problems digesting casein, it is not
recommended
Licensed to everyone.
to Anna Remember not to choose
Denslow, [email protected]
a completely fat free form because there is a risk it may contain
“unnecessary filling agents.”
Organic chicken eggs are an excellent version of the protein
part. It is the most valuable food product for humans, being
a great source of the most valuable protein, almost all vitamins
and minerals, and regulating cholesterol level through lecithin.
To achieve maximum health effects, make sure you eat eggs with
liquid yolk. I am aware it is a product that slightly distorts the
macronutrient proportions I have specified for a reducing meal
(despite being more or less consistent in terms of calorie supply)
but sometimes we can compromise (no more than once a day) to
receive invaluable health benefits.
The carbohydrate part – it is best to choose various groats.
They are the least processed products, rich in vitamins, minerals
and fibre. The most valuable of them are buckwheat groats
(preferably non-toasted) and millet groats. The latter has another
100
important quality – alkalising effects. Groats are very filling so
they are perfect for a reducing diet. You may also use any rice or
pasta as a source of carbohydrates. Even though the preferred
option is the wholegrain form, it is OK for you to sometimes eat
white rice or white noodles. Potatoes are also a good ingredient
in a reducing diet. They are not as valuable as groats but they
have the highest satiety index. Many people ask me about bread
in reducing diet. If it is made using sourdough and preferably of
wholegrain flour, I have nothing against. But you must know that
it is hard to feel full after eating little amounts of bread.
The situation is similar when it comes to puffed rice cakes, which
I ultimately find acceptable as well.
When choosing carbohydrate products, make sure to check
their origin. It is best if they are organic.
The fat part – it toshould
Licensed cover [email protected]
Anna Denslow, demand for Essential Fatty
Acids so the best solution is to use linseed and sunflower oil
(cold-pressed!). We of course do not heat up unsaturated fats
but instead we pour them over a part of a ready dish. Since once
teaspoonful of linseed oil and two teaspoonfuls of sunflower oil
cover our daily demand for EFAs in 100%, we may use other fat
additions from the table in certain meals.
The fibre part – mostly vegetables.
They contain mostly water, fibre, vitamins and minerals. If we
take leguminous plants, potatoes and corn out of that group (they
should be treated as carbohydrates due to the high starch content),
we may consider all the vegetables as a healthy, low-calorie filler
of our dishes. We must be obviously aware that only those that
come from organic farming or a verifiable supplier are really
healthy. Also, be careful while “filling” your dishes with
vegetables. Some treat their low-calorie nature too seriously and
sometimes even stuff themselves with them. This is not a good
101
 solution because vegetables do not leave you satiated for long as
they contain little macronutrients. Those who want to satisfy
hunger with large quantities of vegetables only unnecessarily
stretch their stomach and only increase the problem of lack of
satiety. A portion of 200-350 g of any low-calorie vegetables
should be sufficient for anyone. Vegetables have a less valuable
but very tasty substitute – mushrooms.
Spices and additions – you can season your dishes using any
fresh and dried spices of your choice. Avoid any “mixes” that
contain monosodium glutamate. Such additions as butter,
mayonnaise, and cream are included in the fat part. Ketchup and
mustard may be included in the diet if their quantity does not
exceed a teaspoonful per meal.

Using theLicensed
table to– Anna
creating dishes
Denslow, [email protected]

As I have already mentioned, every meal consists of four

elements, and none of them can be skipped. You choose one
ingredient from every part, thus creating your favourite dish. The
table was made to give you as many options as possible with
basically the same number of calories and proportions of
macronutrients (+/- 10%). More skilful cooks will be able to
prepare at least a hundred tasty combinations using the tables.
But don't worry if you don’t feel like a Master Chef. Our website
offers a lot of delicious and easy recipes,
developed in line with the above tables. Below you will find some
of Agnieszka's interesting suggestions.

102
Pork tenderloin
in cream mushroom sauce

200 g cubed pork tenderloin

100 g frozen, washed cubed mushrooms (for instance
chantarelles) or a few dried mushrooms (for instance
boletes)
½ cubed onion
50 g 18% cream
salt, pepper, thyme
200 g green beans
50 g buckwheat groats

If you are using dried mushrooms, first make a broth. Soak the
mushrooms in half
Licensed a glass
to Anna of water
Denslow, and put aside for the night.
[email protected]
Cook for 30 minutes in the water in which they were soaked. Fry
the pork on a pre-heated pan, without any fat. Add onion and fry
a little more. Then add frozen or dried mushrooms along with
the cooking broth. Cover and stew until soft. Add salt, pepper,
thyme, take the pan off the heat and stir in the cream.

103
Beef Stroganoff

½ onion (sliced or chopped)

200 g mushrooms (peeled and chopped)
200 g beef tenderloin (or short loin, eye of round)
10 g butter
250 ml (glassful) hot broth of soup vegetables or hot water
125 ml (half glass) tomato paste
– tomato passata
1 teaspoonful ground sweet paprika
½ teaspoonful ground chilli
salt and pepper
50 g millet groats or buckwheat groats

Remove membranes and cube

Licensed to Anna the [email protected]
Denslow, meat. Pre-heat butter on the
pan, fry onion and garlic. Add meat and fry until grey. Add
mushrooms, stir and pour over with the broth. Add salt, pepper,
paprika and chilli. Add tomato paste, simmer until the meat is
soft. Serve with groats (buckwheat or miller groats) cooked in
salted water.

104
Spaghetti

200 g minced beef

125 ml (half glass) tomato passata
200 g red pepper (peeled and cubed)
a small onion or ½ onion (cubed)
1 clove of garlic, pressed or finely chopped
50 g spaghetti pasta
30 g grated cheese
salt, pepper, basil, oregano, thyme if you wish, fresh
parsley leaves

Fry meat without fat in a deep pan until grey. Move to the side
of the pan or put to a separate bowl. Add onion and garlic, fry
until transparent, mix with
Licensed to Anna the [email protected]
Denslow, meat, passata and pepper. Add
pepper, salt and herbs as you like. Stew for about 20 minutes,
mix with the pasta cooked in salted water. Put on the plate,
sprinkle with cheese and parsley leaves.

105
Chicken breasts in sauce with pumpkin and
mushrooms.

210 g chicken breast

salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoonful dried thyme
200 g pumpkin pulp (may be frozen in off-season)
a few mushrooms
½ onion
1 tablespoonful coconut oil
1 tablespoonful parsley leaves
50 g pasta

Remove membranes and bones from the meat. Cut into big
cubes. Sprinkle with
Licensed salt,Denslow,
to Anna freshly [email protected]
ground pepper and thyme.
Cube the pumpkin pulp. Wash and slice the mushrooms. Cube
the onion. Pre-heat a deep pan. Melt 1 tablespoonful of coconut
oil, add chicken breasts and fry over high heat for about
2 minutes while stirring until brown. Add mushrooms and onion
and fry a little more. Add pumpkin and fry a little more. Add salt,
cover and simmer until the pumpkin is soft. Mix with pasta
cooked in salted water, sprinkle with parsley leaves.

106
Salmon and wild rice salad

50 g mixture of basmati rice with wild rice

200 g wild salmon fillets (frozen)
50-100 g lettuce mix with rocket salad and spinach
250 g vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, green beans
(may be frozen in off-season):
chopped parsley leaves
Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
50 g cream 18%

Cook the rice in salted water, drain and pour to a bowl. Cook the
vegetables in salted water or steam them. In the meantime,
prepare the salmon (if frozen – first defrost). Put on a roasting
tin or toLicensed
a heatproof dish.
to Anna Put [email protected]
Denslow, oven pre-heated to 180 °C for
about 25 minutes. Take out mid-roasting, sprinkle with salt,
pepper and thyme on both sides. Divide the roasted salmon to
small parts. Mix with rice, parsley leaves, vegetables and cream.

107
Salad with potatoes, eggs, French mustard and chives

200 g salad potatoes cooked in salted water and sliced

3 hard-boiled eggs (size L)
250 g vegetables (if off-season, they may be frozen):
green beans, cauliflower, green peas, broccoli, Brussels
sprouts
1 pickle
50-100 g lettuce mix
10 g olive oil
½ teaspoonful French mustard
salt, pepper
chopped chives

To make the diet asto simple

Licensed as possible,
Anna Denslow, you may have the same
[email protected]
dish for all the meals, even seven days a week. Such an extreme
solution will have no major impact on the effectiveness of fat
burning but having your health at heart, make sure your menu is
as diverse as possible.

108
A perfect fat reducing diet
[Tobiasz Wilk]

As you probably know, the basic factor determining

whether a particular nutrition regime will allow you to lose fat
is the calorie deficit. Simply speaking, this means that your
food must supply your body with less energy than it needs. In
theory, the more negative the calorie balance in a diet the more
the body draws from the fatty tissue. In practice, however, if
we drop to below the minimum demand for energy and
nutrients we will also lose a lot of muscles in addition to fat
(survival mode). If our diet has fewer calories than the total
demandLicensed
(TMR) tobut more
Anna than the
Denslow, basal metabolic rate (BMR),
[email protected]
we can expect excellent results but only for a few weeks. This
is because our body adapts to new living conditions and lowers
its demand (total metabolic rate) to the calorie level in the diet.
If you keep lowering the quantity of calories to regain the
deficit (against the already reduced demand), this may be
disastrous both for your health and shape. Being on a long-term
diet with a considerable calorie deficit not only destroys the
metabolic rate but also ruins your hormonal balance. The first
one to drop is leptin, as Agnieszka has written in the previous
chapters. Then the activity of pancreatic hormones and the
level of important sexual hormones is affected, which limits
reproduction (drop in libido, menstruation disorders in women)
and leads to loss of strength and muscle. During a long-term
reducing diet with a high energy deficit, the energy level is
very low, which manifests itself in constant fatigue and

109
 unwillingness to act, as well as continuous hunger (low leptin
level) and frustration because there are no effects despite the
huge sacrifice. At this point, people often give up the reducing
diet and try to switch to nutrition consistent with the demand
or, what is worse, turn to uncontrolled gluttony. The majority
of people are unaware that the total demand is at that point not
much higher than the calorie supply of the abandoned diet
(reduced metabolic rate). For instance, eating 3000 kcal (or
more) if the reduced demand is 1500 kcal must end with
a quick increase in the fatty tissue. This is how the famous yo-
yo effect arises. These 3000 kcal could be completely harmless
to our figure if our metabolism (total demand TMR) was at
a similar level.
What to do if we have damaged the metabolic rate? The
only wayLicensed
to leavetothis
Annapath is to gradually
Denslow, increase the calorie
[email protected]
supply in the diet. Such conduct gives our body the time to
boost the metabolism. The more slowly we add the calories
(and the smaller and less frequent the jumps), the greater the
chance that the body will manage to adapt to the new calorie
supply, which will allow us to preserve the same fat level
despite greater energy consumption.
Cutting the calories in a diet gradually, week after week,
and then adding them gradually – this is an effective way to
lose fatty tissue and keep the achieved lower fat level (no yo-
yo effect). Still, this system has a few disadvantages:
its effectiveness end quickly, which forces us to keep
reducing the number of calories;
at the hardest stage it is strenuous for the body (slower
metabolic rate and disrupted hormonal balance);
it leads to considerable strength and muscle losses;

110
 it is quite exhausting. Living with a calorie deficit for
seven days a week requires great self-discipline (those
less strong-willed quickly abandon the programme).
All the above issues can be resolved though diet rotation.
An example of such a regime is a the introduction of
a “cheat meal” or a “cheat day” every now and then, that is one
meal or one day a week with much more calories (mostly
carbohydrates, also those highly processed ones). Such a brief
escape from the diet is a release for the psyche and it
considerably rescues the metabolism and hormonal system
affected by the reduction (and in particular it increases the
leptin level). Such a solution is bound to make things slightly
easier for those who do not have the strong will to achieve
success. Still, the regime has many disadvantages as well:
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
one meal/day a week is too little to considerably improve
the hormonal situation and the metabolism,
it does not allow full preservation of the muscles,
it still requires substantial restrictions (for 6 days
a week!).
I kept looking for other solutions. I arrived at a crazy idea of
reversing the whole situation. The BBC programme Eat, Fast
and Live Longer presented a nutrition scheme where we are on
a strict diet for two days a week, and for the remaining five days
we eat as much as our body demands. For these two days to be
able to free us of noticeable amounts of fat, we would have to
limit ourselves to only 500 (men 650) calories. In practice, this
meant fasting almost a whole day, with one meal. I did not like
this way either. Why is that?
Eating much less calories than the daily demand led to
drops in strength and muscle (although I managed to
111
 compensate for the deficit in the remaining part of the
week).
It was a difficult challenge for me to fast a whole day
(especially without first adapting to such a system). One
650 kcal meal a day did not satisfy me at all.
My mood was very bad.
After a fasting day I found it very hard to fall asleep and
hunger woke me up at night many times.
I spent almost a year and a half searching for something in
between a classic reducing diet and a regime based on hours of
fasting. My purpose was to develop an effective programme
but not at the expense of the pleasure derived from eating. This
was to be a diet that I would follow easily, until getting in my
record shape. The additional assumption was that the diet could
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
not affect the metabolic rate, the hormonal balance, strength
and muscle. Having tested various regimes on myself and my
clients, I managed to arrive at an almost perfect programme (if
such a programme exists). Now I would like to present it to
you.
It involves only three deficit days a week, interwoven
with at least one day where you eat almost as much calories as
you need (that is close to your TMR).
Since you will be on a strict diet practically for three days
a week only, you must ensure the biggest possible safe energy
deficit. Otherwise, a too high number of calories on those days
will not yield any noticeable results.
How low can you get with calories on the reducing days
while retaining good mood, satisfactory satiety, strength and
muscle? I have been looking for answers for months,
experimenting on myself and a group of volunteers. We all
112
 arrived at the same conclusion. The lower threshold of a calorie
supply that met all the assumptions was energy supply slightly
lower than the basal metabolic rate (BMR). This is probably no
coincidence – after all, it is hard to be in good mood or preserve
muscle while eating well below the minimum demand. But
I wanted to see it for myself. I wanted to be sure that this is
actually the best solution. Since the quantity of food eaten on
the deficit days will be limited to the necessary minimum, you
must make sure it is of top quality and use the right proportions
of macronutrients. They are very important not only for proper
functioning of the body but, as I have already written, also for
the sufficient feeling of satiety, essential for those lacking
strong will. To estimate the optimum calorie and nutritional
value for yourself for the deficit days, you do not have to make
any calculations. You can simply base your diet on the three
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
meals suggested in the previous chapter. If you are a woman,
your diet on the deficit days will consist of three meals of
around 350 kcal (30 g protein, 36 g carbohydrates, 7 g fibre, 12
g fats), which gives approximately:
1050 kcal, 90 g protein, 108 g carbohydrates (including
21 g fibre), 36 g fats.
Men should eat three meals of around 525 kcal (45 g
protein, 55 g carbohydrates, 10 g fibre, 18 g fats), which gives
approximately:
1575 kcal, 135 g protein, 165 g carbohydrates (including
30 g fibre), 54 g fats.
You are probably wondering if the above number of
calories and macronutrients on the deficit day is appropriate for
every woman and every man? If we exclude very slim people
(they are rarely interested in losing fat) and very obese people
113
(I have separate recommendations for them), as well as
unnaturally muscular people (who have developed large
muscles with the support of steroids), we can assume that the
values I have provided are slightly below the basal metabolic
rate (BMR) of the majority of adult women and men. You do
not have to wonder if the quantity of is too high or too low for
you by a hundred calories. It is very had to precisely estimate
the individual basal metabolic rate (BMR), even in laboratory
conditions. Using sample formulas, you will obtain various,
often highly discrepant results (I myself use mostly formulas
that take into account tendencies to put on weight). So do not
worry about maths and just trust me! On the deficit days, eat
the three meals I have suggested. This cannot harm you and
you will not have to wait long to see the effects of fat losses.
A diet built on the three meals I have described ensures
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
the minimum and required quantity of carbohydrates and it
completely covers the demand for Essential Fatty Acids (both
aspects were discussed in the previous chapters). Protein level
representing about 34% of the energy supply will secure your
muscles and allow you to feel satiated. I additionally
recommend fasting for 12-15 hours during the night and
before noon as this will support you in your diet and make it
easier to observe the guidelines. And what about exercise on
the deficit days? According to what I have stated at the
beginning of the book, every major physical activity will
switch the body to the utilisation of carbohydrate instead of
the fatty tissue (from which we draw energy during periods of
low activity). Additionally, intensive training on the deficit
days will considerably deteriorate your mood and increase the
risk of hunger. This is because the body strives to replenish
the carbohydrate reserves after exercise and we eat little of
114
those on that day. Physical activity on deficit days should only
come down to daily life activities (sitting, walking, cleaning),
sometimes you can go out for a longer walk (especially at the
end of the fasting period).
Each deficit day is followed by a “full” day. This is
necessary because a reducing diet, even if lasting one day, will
always slow down the metabolism, at least a bit (of course the
shorter it is the less it will “destroy” the metabolism). The task
of the full day is primarily to restore the original, higher level
of metabolism and thus to re-sensitise the body to the calorie
deficit (reducing day). Such “recharging” every other day is
highly beneficial for the whole endocrine system, and in
combination with appropriate weight training it leads to
muscle growth or complete regeneration (in the event of
potentialLicensed
catabolism caused
to Anna by excessive
Denslow, deficit).
[email protected]
Full days ensure not only returning to the maximum
metabolic performance of the body but also offer an opportunity
to relax and try some culinary craziness after a strict reducing
day. Obviously, this does not mean uncontrolled gluttony!
Eating more calories than the total metabolic rate (TMR) would
thwart the effects of the deficit day. The whole point of this
programme is not to catch up with the fat lost during the
reducing day on the day with increased calorie intake. This
means that the energy supply in diet on the full days cannot be
higher than your total demand (TMR). Also in this case, precise
calculations are pointless. All you need to do is to stick to values
a little lower than the total demand (TMR). Even if this equals
a slight calorie deficit on the full day, the very clear surge in the
number of calories (after the deficit days) will perfectly fulfil its
function, restoring the metabolic function. No calculations are

115
needed, you can simply use the ready nutrition systems provided
at the end of this chapter.
What will your full day look like? Depending what range
your daily demand falls on, you will add an extra portion (or
portions) of 250/350 calories to the three balanced meals from
the reducing day, mostly in the form of carbohydrates (and you
will also be allowed to use the highly processed ones). See the
table below to check the examples of what you can eat within
the extra calories (between meals or to supplement them). The
number of additional portions on full days depends mostly on
the current body weight, age and physical activity – that is on
your current total metabolic rate (you will find the proper
number of the extra calories in the next subsequent tables of
this chapter).
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

116
 Choose one of the following versions

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

117
 Choose one of the following versions

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

118
 If this is the beginning of your road to a well shaped body,
you do not have to pay too much attention to the composition of
the additional calories. Make your choices based on taste and
pleasure, and if you want to take care of your health even more
– choose the food that is the least processed or comes from
a reliable source. If you are currently fighting for very low fat
level, make sure that all the additional calories on the full days
come mostly from carbohydrates. Such conduct will give you
sufficient support of leptin and will allow you to get in your
record shape.
Below you will find examples of the “2XME – Minimum
Effort, Maximum Effects” nutrition regimes.

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

119
 Complete FAST +
Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST 60 min. Walk

Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal

Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal
Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal

Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal
Weight tr. Weight tr. Weight tr. Weight tr.
or interval or interval or interval or interval
train. train. train. train.
Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal

Extra 250 kcal Licensed to Anna Denslow,

Extra 250 kcal [email protected]
Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal
Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST
 Complete FAST +
Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST 60 min. Walk

Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal

Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal
Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal

Weight tr. Weight tr. Weight tr. Weight tr.

or interval or interval or interval or interval
train. train. train. train.
Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal

Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal
Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
 Complete FAST + Complete FAST + Complete FAST +
Complete FAST 60 min. Walk Complete FAST 60 min. Walk Complete FAST Complete FAST 60 min. Walk

Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal

Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal

Weight tr. Weight tr. Weight tr. Weight tr.

or interval or interval or interval or interval
train. train. train. train.
Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal Meal 350 kcal

Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal Extra 250 kcal

Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

 Complete FAST +
Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST 60 min. Walk

Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal

Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal
Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal

Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal
Weight tr. Weight tr. Weight tr. Weight tr.
or interval or interval or interval or interval
train. train. train. train.
Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal

Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST
 Complete FAST +
Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST 60 min. Walk

Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal

Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal
Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal

Weight tr. Weight tr. Weight tr. Weight tr.

or interval or interval or interval or interval
train. train. train. train.
Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal

Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal
Complete FAST Licensed
Complete FAST to Complete
Anna Denslow, [email protected]
FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST
 Complete FAST + Complete FAST + Complete FAST +
Complete FAST 60 min. Walk Complete FAST 60 min. Walk Complete FAST Complete FAST 60 min. Walk

Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal

Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal

Weight tr. Weight tr. Weight tr. Weight tr.

or interval or interval or interval or interval
train. train. train. train.
Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal Meal 525 kcal

Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal Extra 350 kcal

Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST Complete FAST
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Please note!
It is possible that none of the above nutrition programmes
will bring any results if your metabolism is currently destroyed.
How to recognise that you have a lowered metabolic rate?
For the past weeks you have been eating less than your daily
demand (possibly you also do aerobic and endurance exercise,
such as jogging) and your weight has not dropped or is
increasing, there is
a 90% chance that your metabolism is destroyed. But if you
currently eat in accordance with or above your demand for
calories (and do practically no exercise), and your weight
remains unchanged or even drops, your metabolism is
accelerated, which makes it a perfect moment to start a reducing
diet. In the worse of these scenarios, there is no point in starting
the diet ILicensed
have suggested because [email protected]
to Anna Denslow, you first need to improve your
metabolism. How to do this? In the first week do not change
anything in your nutrition but limit the physical activity to next
to nothing (you can only do light weight training 2-3 times
a week). At the next stage, keep increasing the calorie intake by
about 250-350 kcal a week until you reach a level above your
total demand (TMR). Continue this stage for 2-3 weeks By
withdrawing from a life with energy deficits gradually, you will
be able to keep the results you have achieved in almost 100% (no
yo-yo effect), despite the increasing calorie intake. You have no
time for such slow boost of metabolism? There is another way.
Stop any physical activity (you may do light weight training 2-3
times a week) and move immediately to the last stage, that is the
2-3 weeks of eating slightly above your demand. If you leave the
deficit so quickly, you may slightly regain weight but as you
begin the new programme, you will get back in shape quickly

126
and you will easily notice the progress. If you have no idea what
your total metabolic rate is and so you don’t know how to eat
during the last stage of metabolism repair, find the nutrition
programme from among the above list that corresponds to your
body weight, and then add one extra portion of 250‒350 kcal to
the full day. Thus achieved calorie supply (full day + 250-350
kcal) is equal to or only slightly higher than your total demand,
and this is the intake you should maintain over the last 2-3 weeks
of boosting your metabolism. Just before the commencement of
my reducing programme, you can afford 2-3 days of
uncontrolled gluttony to become as sensitive to the reducing diet
as possible (calorie deficit). However, please be reasonable for
health-related reasons.
What results can you expect if you follow my programme?
With a properly selected regime, you should lose 0.2-
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
0.8 inches of fat a week (usually 1-1.5% of body weight).
Simultaneous application of my nutrition programme and
proper weight training may result in “recomposition of the
body,” where muscle development takes place concurrently
with fat loss and as a consequence there is no weight loss. For
this reason, honest waist measurement might be a better
indicator of results than weight monitoring. The effect
consistent with the assumptions is the weekly loss of 0.2-0.8
inches in waist or hips. If you do not record visible progress
during one week, wait seven days to the next measurement
before you panic because stagnation lasting several days is
normal during a proper reducing diet. If there are no noticeable
results over two consecutive weeks, add an additional session
of longer walks to your programme, in line with the guidelines
in the table. If the results are still unsatisfactory, try composing
the protein part (especially on deficit days) of the leanest
127
possible meat and fish (max. fat content 3%). Having exhausted
the above attempts, take away one extra portion from the full
day and thus move to the regime for lower body weight. Then
follow the recommendation regarding longer walks. If you
apply all these solutions and you are still not in your record
shape, take a two-week break from the reducing diet. Eat every
day in accordance with the demand corresponding to your
current body weight (see the text about metabolism boosting)
and then return to the previous regime with three deficit days.
How to end the diet and keep the achieved low fat level? You
probably already know the answer. Yes, you gradually increase
the calories in your diet. First do not change anything in the
nutrition regime but only limit the number of longer walks to
one a week. Then increase each of the full days by an additional
250-350 Licensed
kcal, repeat this in the next week until the calorie intake
to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
from the full day is close to your demand. Over the next weeks
eliminate subsequent deficit days (change them to full days).
You will certainly not always eat within the limits of the
demand, and days with increased calorie intake are bound to
appear. Which is why it is a good idea to leave 1-2 deficit days
a week to keep the effects.

128
Physical activity – No Cardio
[ Tobiasz Wilk ]

When talking about perfect body, the majority of people

point to fitness magazine covers. A body that is not overly
muscular but is well shaped and free of fat is a dream of almost
everyone who tries to be fit and cares about their health. This
usually requires meeting two conditions: burning the fat and
improving the muscle structure. How to exercise to achieve the
desired effect?
Every year, at the beginning of January, as a result of new
year’s resolutions, gyms are under a real siege. At the end of
March and the beginning
Licensed of April,[email protected]
to Anna Denslow, the number of those working
out often exceeds the capacity of the venue. What equipment is
usually sparse in the period? Will you always see the same
picture while visiting a gym during the peak time? No free
treadmills, stationary bicycles, steppers and other aerobic
exercise (also known as
“cardio”) equipment. Will this type of physical activity make
your dreams about perfect body come true?
As the first days of springs approach, parks and other urban
green areas start to resemble a marathon route. More and more
people start jogging regularly. But what for? If the goal is to
improve endurance, then this makes sense. But is it really a good
idea to build your body? In the recent years, we have been
observing yet another tendency connected with the desire to look
good, characteristic mostly of women. Namely, the incredible
boost in the popularity of aerobic exercise, whether group

129
 sessions or in front of a TV with a fitness coach. It is great that
so many people leave their couches to improve their health and
get in shape but is this type of physical activity the best way to
achieve your goal?
The answers to these questions are usually structured based
on the analysis of the following charts. The first one presents the
correlation between the intensity of the activity
and the source of energy:
ENERGY SUBSTRATES
versus the intensity of
100%. exercise 100%.

Fats

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

Glycogen
Exercise
Walk Aerobic exercise (cardio) Jogging Team sports
Sprint Weight training
0% 0%
Anabolic stimulus

LOW Intensity of HI
exercise

Costill 1986

130
 This chart shows that the more intense the exercise the
greater the use of glycogen (carbohydrates) as the source of
energy and thus lower utilisation of fats. Obviously, this
correlation can also be read reversely. The lower the intensity of
the activity, the greater the use of fatty tissue as the source of
energy.
We may conclude from the above data that the best form of
activity for fat burning is any exercise of low intensity. Fat is
used as fuel during our basic daily activities, such as sitting or
walking. Even though fat is the dominant source of energy
during low-intensity physical activity you have probably
guessed that the general utilisation of calories (and thus the fatty
tissue) during that time is low. In this situation, many people try
to tackle the issue of low fat burning
according to thistochart:
Licensed Anna Denslow, [email protected]

ENERGY SUBSTRATES
versus the duration of
exercise
100% 100%.
Glycogen

Fats

0%. 0%
0 min. Duration of exercise (min) 180 min.

131
 This chart shows that the longer the exercise, the greater the
share of fats as the source of energy. Based on this information,
we could easily conclude that medium-intensity activity is the
best for fat burning (e.g. the popular cardio (aerobic exercise) or
long-distance running). After all, it burns more calories than less
intense physical activity. Even though at first it utilises mostly
glycogen (carbohydrates), the utilisation of fat keeps increasing
as the activity continues.

Cardio (aerobic exercise) and long-

distance running – the best idea for fat
burning?
It seemsLicensed
that wetohave
Annafound the [email protected]
Denslow, answer to the question of what
type of exercise will help us shape the body of our dreams.
Practically everyone who has introduced cardio (aerobic) exercise
or long-distance running to their life has quickly noticed positive
changes in their appearance. Amazed by the first effects, they
keep investing in medium-intensity exercise. In time, however,
the effectiveness of such activity drops. It quite often happens that
someone does cardio (aerobic) exercise or runs long distances for
a few hours a day but sees no progress. In fact, in time they start
to look worse! The body becomes softer and saggy. A lot of
medium-intensity activity requires huge sacrifice and
determination. The terrible fatigue and lack of expected results
lead to frustration or depression. When this happens, people often
start to wonder what they are doing wrong. They usually look for
mistakes in the diet because cardio (or long-distance running)
definitely works, as they saw for themselves after taking them up.
Do you want to know what went wrong?
132
 You chose the optimum form of fat burning exercise based
on the intensity and duration of the activity, failing to account
for the fact that your body adapts. Let’s thoroughly discuss what
happens to your body when you start to regularly do a lot of
cardio exercise or long-distance running.
The first thing to be observed after you introduce a regular
medium-intensity physical activity to your life is the clear
reduction of water level in the body (often even by a few
litres/pounds). We remove a lot of subcutaneous water during
such training, and the results can be seen immediately after the
exercise. You look much “drier,” the waist circumference is
smaller, muscles are more visible, and in those with low body fat
vascularisation (visibility of veins) increases. The reduced level
of subcutaneous water persists for even 2-3 days after the last
practice (if we dotonot
Licensed abandon
Anna the
Denslow, diet in favour of overeating).
[email protected]
Such a clearly visible effect makes many people think: “Cardio /
running is perfect for fat burning! After all, I can see the results
practically day after day!” Unfortunately, this is an illusion
because it was not possible to burn any major quantities of fat
during 1-2 training sessions and all that makes us so happy is
simply the temporarily reduced subcutaneous water level. A few
days after you stop regularly practising the medium-intensity
activity, the water level returns to the baseline, and your
appearance deteriorates. Bear this in mind before you give up
such exercise.
Another issue we experience quite quickly is the muscle
glycogen level. Analysing the above charts we can see that
medium-intensity exercise first uses considerable quantities of
carbohydrates and then, in time, the body switches to the
utilisation of the fatty tissue. This results in a situation where
glycogen reserves become considerably depleted after just a few
133
cardio / running sessions, which leaves our muscles flat, saggy
and exhausted. Bodybuilding and fitness competitors perfectly
understand such terms to describe the appearance of muscles.
This is also the reason who many of them give up cardio (aerobic)
exercise completely in the last two weeks before the competition.
They want their muscles to be as bulging as possible, and they
resolve the issues of subcutaneous dehydration using other
methods (e.g. manipulating the consumption of water, sodium
etc.).
The third thing we observe if we regularly practice cardio /
running is the considerable strength and muscle loss. This
outcome can be already noticed after a week of such activity (of
course assuming that there is no illegal support). It is caused on
the one hand by the reduced muscle glycogen level, and on the
other hand by increased
Licensed secretion
to Anna Denslow, of cortisol – a catabolic
[email protected]
hormone. Why does medium-intensity exercise orient the body
towards the loss of muscle? It is an element of adaptation to
a particular type of activity. Cardio (aerobic) exercise and long-
distance running means simply “transporting” the body over
considerable distances and requires great endurance rather than
strength and muscle. So the body naturally adapts to the
requirements it is faced with by reducing the body weight
primarily by losing the uneconomical muscle tissue. From the
perspective of cardio or long-distance running, more muscle
means only an unnecessary ballast to be dropped as soon as
possible. Remember that by doing a lot (over 60 minutes
a week) of medium-intensity exercise, you give your body
a clear signal to start adapting.
The fourth issue – fat burning. As I have already
mentioned, medium-intensity exercise practised for a longer
time (more than 20 minutes) will ultimately cause the body to
134
switch to the utilisation of the fatty tissue. Even shorter sessions
can contribute to fat burning. This will not be a direct impact but
just as any new physical activity it will create a calorie deficit
(assuming unchanged supply of calories), which will force the
body to draw from its own energy reserves in the form of fatty
tissue. Unfortunately, thus increased fat utilisation by the body
quickly disappears. Just after 2-3 weeks, the deficit caused by
cardio or long-distance running is brought to zero! The total
demand for energy (TMR) drops. This is yet another element of
the adaptation to medium-intensity exercise. The body defends
itself against such activity, trying to become more economical.
The next cardio or running sessions will use less and less energy,
thus reducing the calorie deficit and the utilisation of fat. So what
do we do? We do more cardio (aerobic) or long-distance
running. The situation repeats itself over the next 2 weeks. What
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
comes next? Again, more cardio, more running! This way we
can completely destroy our metabolism. In the meantime, there
is a way to considerably reduce the fat level without cardio
(aerobic) or long-distance running!
I have yet to mention the uncontrolled appetite that follows
every cardio or running session. This makes it very hard to
stick to a diet that is the basis for fat reduction.

135
 Now you understand why medium-intensity physical
activity is not the best solution if you strive for lower body fat
and more visible musculature. Whenever I talk about this,
I often hear the protests of those who claim that someone they
know has done cardio ad long-distance running and has lost a lot
of weight.
Of course you can lose weight through medium-intensity
exercise, I am not questioning that. But considering the
scientific facts discussed above and the practice of those who
do cardio or long-distance running, I know that this is the
hardest way to a well-built body. Many people are amazed by
the initial results of medium-intensity activity but in time this
exercise changes their lives into a torture and makes it much
harder for them to achieve a perfect body.
I often encounter
Licensed arguments
to Anna that cardio (aerobic) exercise
Denslow, [email protected]
cannot be that bad if it is used by the majority of world’s top
bodybuilders, and low fat level and proportional musculature is
the key to success in their discipline. We must be aware that
professional sport is not free of drugs. Advanced bodybuilders
have access to a number of pharmacological agents that can
eliminate practically all the drawbacks of extensive medium-
intensity exercise. Using the right hormones, they are able to
inhibit the muscle catabolism almost to zero or control the
metabolic rate. Those without any pharmacological support
should not copy the nutritional and training programmes of
professional athletes taking illegal drugs.
So does this mean that you should steer clear of cardio and
long-distance running? If you practice endurance sports and
your goals is to improve your physical conditional and increase
the capacity of your body during long periods of activity,
running will probably be indispensable. After all, adaptation to
136
such form of activity is the most important thing for you. By
becoming more economical, having lower metabolic rate and
less muscle, you will be able to achieve better results in sports
that require endurance. But you must know that fighting for
good physical condition and muscle endurance makes it harder
to achieve a fat-free and muscular body. And what about
cardio? As the name suggests, it is the type of exercise that
strengthens our cardiovascular system and it should be used
specifically for that purpose. Doing cardio (aerobic exercise)
once or twice a week for 15-30 minutes will be beneficial for
our health and it will not result in our body adapting to that type
of activity or have the related unwanted consequences.

Closer to your goal

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
You already know that if you want to have a perfect body,
cardio and long-distance running is not the best idea for you. So
what do you do? If you strive for fat loss, there is actually no
need to undertake any major activity (assuming that you follow
a diet with a calorie deficit). According to the basic knowledge
about the functioning of our body, the greatest utilisation of fat
as the source of energy takes place during daily life activities. It
is a good idea to make your lifestyle more active by limiting the
sitting tasks in favour for instance of more walking (instead of
driving) or longer strolls (45-60 minutes). You do not have to
worry that your body will adapt to these activities. Physical
activity of such low intensity is not a challenge to our body so
there is nothing to adapt to. The only drawback of such exercise
if the relatively low number of burnt calories and thus fatty
tissue. Can anything be done about it?

137
 Weight training is an excellent addition to a fat reducing
programme. For those who dream about a not only slim but also
muscular body, it is a must. Physical activity of extremely high
intensity has practically no fat burning effects by itself. But it is so
stressful for the body that the body starts to defend itself,
responding with the development of muscle tissue. It is a type of
adaptation to exercise but this time it has only benefits. Muscle
growth means not only a well-shaped, hard body but also increased
metabolic rate, which translates to greater fat burning during daily
life activities.
Information on how to properly plan your weight training while
on a reducing diet (for those without any hormonal support) is
available on our website
Here are the main principles of
creating such a plan:
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Good weight training must consist primarily of the basic
movements, that is full-body workout:
Legs / buttocks knee bends (various versions),
lunges,
deadlift with your legs straight;
Chest / delts – barbell/dumbbell lifting (various
angles);
Back / lats – pull-ups (various versions), row;
Back / erector muscles – deadlifts;
Triceps – push-ups (various versions – on rails,
reverse), Biceps – chin-ups (or possibly bending your
arms with a barbell);
Abdomen – knee bends (the abdomen works heavily),
leg lifting (various types).
Those who do not take anabolic hormones should train
each part of the muscles 2-3 times a week. Increased

138
frequency of exercise for a particular muscle entails
reducing the workout volume and gradual increase of
intensity. You should do no more than 2-3 exercises in 3-
5 proper sets (excluding warm-up sets).
Properly planned workout oriented towards muscle
growth (preservation) must be connected with the most
anabolic range of reps (5-12 reps in proper sets). Legs,
delts and abdomen usually respond best to the upper part
of that range (this is most likely connected with the
composition of muscle fibres), while the rest of the muscle
groups can be trained in the lower level of that scope.
Properly planned weight training should assume weekly
(or accompanying every workout) progression of weight.
Only is the load is continuously increased, muscles are
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
stimulated to develop. But to make it possible to keep
adding weight for a longer period (several weeks), the
workout plan should start from too light weights (subtract
10-15% from your current capacity) In time, the load
increases (by 2-5% a week), and after a few weeks you
will even beat your current records in sets. When you
reach a point where you are unable to progress (add
weight) for two weeks, reset the plan (again start with
weights 10-15% lower but now in respect of the new
records). The more slowly you progress (the smaller the
surges of weight every week or every session), the bigger
your chance to go further. You are also more likely to beat
you current records in sets, which is connected with the
fact that your muscles develop. The chance at keeping
them grows as well.

139
 Perfect technique is very important in every exercise!
Especially the initial (easier) weeks of the new plan are the
time to learn perfect technique. You will benefit from this
when the weight increases. The rep rate: positive
(concentric) quick movement but controlled with perfect
technique! Negative (eccentric) moderate or slow
movement – controlled lowering of the weight, resistance
in backwards movement (the muscle works then as well)!
Interval training may be a substitute, though slightly worse, of
weight training. It involves interweaving short workout of very
high intensity with slightly longer activity of very low intensity.
For example, sprints of 30-60 seconds interwoven with 2-3
minute walks. There are of course many ways to do interval
training. For instance you can run up the stairs a few stories, and
then walk down.toYou
Licensed Annacan ride a bike
Denslow, up a steep hill and then pedal
[email protected]
lightly while going down the hill. Almost every form of activity
can be an interval. It is important to subject the body to maximum
effort for a short time and then relax by performing a physical
activity of low intensity, only to “attack” the body with high
intensity again. You do not have to precisely define the time
intervals and the heart rate. What matters is to achieve the greatest
possible difference between the levels of intensity for these
activities. It is good to begin training with a few minutes of
warm-up in the form of a medium-intensity activity and end it by
calming down in the same manner. Just like weight training,
interval training enhances the metabolic rate for a long time (even
two days) and it may increase the muscle tissue. However, for
those advanced in weight training the it is too little
for muscles to keep developing.

140
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
The most common mistakes
made while applying the
“2XME – Minimum Effort,
Maximum Effects” programme
[ Tobiasz Wilk ]

Despite achieving the results as planned (loss of 1-3 lb of fat

a week), my clients often started to “upgrade” the programme on
their own to boost the effects. What did they usually do and what
were the results? Here are the 5 most common ill-advised
modifications of the 2XME programme:
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

Since deficit days burn fat so well, why not increase their
number from three to four (or more)? Such a change to the
programme may indeed accelerate the results but only in
the first 2-3 weeks of its application. Too few full days
(with calories supply close to the total demand) will not
allow you to properly get your metabolism going which
leads to a situation where the effectiveness of the
programme drops considerably – despite the initially better
results – until complete lack of progress.

Such an attempt to “improve” the programme will make

the full days equal to the deficit days, and as a result

142
you strip the diet of the rotation used to fix the metabolism.
After the above plan is introduced, we initially note
spectacular results but the joy will not last too long. Two
weeks into a diet with a continuous calorie deficit, the
metabolic rate usually drops and the effects stop.

Some believe that the more calories they consume on the

full day,
the more they boost their metabolism and thus achieve
better results. If you follow that rule, you can easily lead to
calorie oversupply on full days, this compensating for the
“loss” from the deficit days. As a result, the total calorie
intake in the week will equals your calorie demand, which
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
means lack of the expected effects. There is no need to
overeat to boost your metabolic rate: all you need is a clear
day-to-day calorie surge (not exceeding the total demand
for energy).
Unreasonably extending the fasting period and
accumulating food The comfort and benefits from fasting
for a dozen or so hours may encourage you to extend it. But
if you fast too long (more than 16 hours), you may lose
muscle and be unable to control your appetite during the
eating window. Besides, overeating over a short period will
affect the functioning of your gastrointestinal tract.

143
 ZZ
The 2XME programme assumes 1-3 longer walks (about 1
h) on the deficit days and possible weight training or
interval training on the full days. 1-2 short aerobic exercise
sessions (up to 30 minutes) are additionally allowed for
health-related benefits on deficit days on empty stomach or
on the full days as warm-up before the weight training.
More cardio sessions or endurance sessions (such as long-
distance running) will quickly cause the metabolic rate to
drop, despite the initial success, and will lead to fatigue and
difficulty in adhering to the diet.

Do the above examples of incorrect changes show that the

2XME programme cannot be modified in any way? Absolutely
not. I very often individually adapt this regime to those whose
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
goals are more complex (for instance they want to get ready for
a sports competition, they lead a different lifestyle or they have
other untypical preferences). If you want to modify the 2XME
programme in any way, remember that if you are not too
experienced in body shaping, the majority of your modification
may turn out to be completely useless. Better is the enemy of
good so sometimes it may not be a good idea to change
something that works well.

144
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
“2XME – Minimum Effort,
Maximum Effects”
– the best way
to reduce fatty tissue?
[ Tobiasz Wilk ]

In your search for an effective fat loss programme, it

probably took you a while to decide which one to choose.
Which one is the best? The dietetic market offers an abundance
of encouraging ideas for fat burning. Some of them are most
certainly very good and some are good for nothing. Nonetheless,
you must be aware
Licensed that
to Anna every [email protected]
Denslow, effective programme requires
sacrifice. Many require huge effort, which few can afford, for
instance due to lack of time or strong will. I hate when people
stubbornly repeat that the only way to have a perfect body is to
subordinate your whole life to a multi-meal monotonous diet
and countless hours of workout. True, this is one way to do it.
But why turn your daily life into a torture if there are other,
easier, more pleasant and less time consuming ways. As I have
already mentioned, my goal was to develop a programme that is
effective but does not take away your joy of life and requires
only minimum effort on your part. What rules do you have to
follow in my programme?

146
You do not have to eat 5-6 times a day. It is enough to eat
just three meals a day, which additionally makes it easier
for you to organise your day (especially if you work a lot).

You do not have to eat anything in the morning, when you

usually have the least time. You can devote the time you
have saved to anything you want (for instance longer and
more regenerating sleep).

You do not have to avoid desserts, ice cream, sweets,

alcohol and your favourite dishes. You will have as many
as four days a week to eat some extra calories, with
a possibility of choosing less healthy products.

You do not have to live a whole week with an energy

deficit. It is enough
Licensed to stick [email protected]
to Anna Denslow, a strict diet three days a week
(with full days between them).

You do not have to fight with hunger. Intermittent fasting,

properly composed meals and many extra calorie portions
make it much easier to stay fairly satiated.

You do not have to use any supplements to support fat

burning. All you need to do is limit yourself to black coffee
(no sugar and milk) in the fasting period and to take proper
cold-pressed oils with your meals.

You do not have to exercise at all. In time, only longer

walks may become useful. Long-distance running and
excessive aerobic (cardio) exercise will only make it harder
to achieve the desired results in the long run. If you strive
for a slim but also muscular body, it may be necessary to
incorporate suitable weight training into the programme.
147
 You do not have to think up tasty dishes on your own but
you can use our website or like us on Facebook, where we
will post excellent recipes.

When somebody asks me if the 2XME programme is the best

way to lose fatty tissue, I always repeat: The best diet is a diet
that you are able to follow until you are fully successful! Another
programme may be very effective but what difference does it
make if you are unable or not strong-willed enough to follow
through. 2XME is the biggest compromise I managed to achieve
between effectiveness, sacrifice, health and pleasure. Are there
nutrition programmes with faster effects? Yes, but unfortunately
they are not as healthy and pleasant. Is it possible to create a
regime even more oriented towards the pleasure of eating? Yes
it is butLicensed
at the expense of effectiveness
to Anna Denslow, and health values. You
[email protected]
can develop a very healthy diet the same way but many will find
it unpleasant (as limiting the pleasure of eating).
Who can follow the 2XME programme?? Any healthy adult
under the age of sixty. The suggested nutrition system will be
equally beneficial for those who only want to lose a few pounds
and those who strive for extremely low fat level (without
reaching for illegal pharmacological support).

148
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
[ Agnieszka Wilk ]

As I was writing the book 2XME – Minimum Effort,

Maximum Effects with Tobiasz, I wanted to smuggle as much
information important for your health as possible. Unfortunately,
the majority of people are more interested in shaping their body
than in caring about their health. Our programme is an excellent
opportunity to show you how to eat properly and what to avoid.
It is the most up-to-date knowledge based both on the rudiments
of nutrition and on the latest scientific research. Although we
know a lot about proper nutrition, we must remember that human
body still remains a myster

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

150
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Does 2XME really work?
References

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

Ania Obidowicz, SEO / SEM specialist

152
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

Joanna Wiecha, project manager

153
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

Ryszard Chmura, President of the PromoHolding Management Board

154
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

155
 Bartosz Wogórka, manager and consultant

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

Magdalena Rymaszewska, Commercial Department Manager

156
 Bogdan Ciążyński, physician
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

Szymon Doktor, Financial Advisor

157
 Agata Puwalska, lawyer

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

Michał Gładysz, Accountant

158
 Licensed to Karolina Piątek, student,
Anna Denslow, future Bikini Fitness contestant
[email protected]

Read more on

Now it’s your turn! Try 2XME!

159
Did you like the book?
Write your review on your Facebook profile, mentioning our
profiles 2XME and No Cardio.
Please do not share the details presented in 2XME –
Minimum Effort, Maximum Results. When randomly extracted,
the information from hour book may be met with indignation and
disapproval. Controversial issues usually require a broader
perspective that would allow to capture their essence. We would
rather someone read the whole book than develop a critical
opinion about it only based on random passages.

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

Do you have any questions to the 2XME programme?
Contact us through Facebook (profiles: 2XME, No Cardio)
or by filing out the form on . Before you ask
a question, please check if it has already been answered in our
other book:
2XME Extra – 100 FAQs and Answers to the 2XME Programme.

It offers another huge dose of knowledge that will help you

shape your body. The book will allow you to adapt the 2XME
regime to your lifestyle and thus achieve even better and more
lasting effects.

You will find the details of 2XME Extra on our website:

.

160
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

161
PL EN
Tygodnie Weeks
Data Date
Waga na czczo Weight on empty stomach
Obwód pasa na wysokości pępka Circumference at the level of the
belly button
Talia Waist
Obwód bioder Hips circumference
Obwód bicepsa prawego Right biceps circumference
Obwód uda prawego Right hip circumference
Zdjęcie Picture
Uwagi Notes

Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

162
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]

163
* tylko kobiety * women only
UWAGA! Pomiary wykonuj co tydzień rano na czczo PLEASE NOTE! Take the
(do kilku minut po obudzeniu się, po oddaniu measurements every week in the
pierwszego moczu) w dzień obfitszy, który był morning on empty stomach (up to
poprzedzony dniem deficytowym (zgodnie z a few minutes after waking up,
programem 2XME). after passing the first urine) on a
full day preceded by a deficit day
(according to the 2XME
programme).
Waga (masa ciała) najlepiej po porannej toalecie Body weight – preferably after
your morning routine in terms of
hygiene.
Obwód pasa na wysokości pępka – stań w sposób Circumference at the level of the
wyprostowany, rozluźniony (zawsze przyjmuj tę samą belly button – stand straight,
pozycję). relaxed (always take the same
position).
Talia – najwęższe miejsce Waist – the narrowest place.
Licensed to Anna Denslow, [email protected]
Obwód bioder – najszersze miejsce + pośladki Hips circumference – the widest
place + buttocks.
Obwód bicepsa (np. prawego) – napięty, w Biceps (e.g. the right one)
najgrubszym miejscu circumference – flexed, in the
widest place.
Obwód uda – 1 cm pod pośladkiem, udo Thigh circumference – 1 cm under
wyprostowane, napięte the buttock, thigh straight, flexed
Zdjęcia – rób zawsze w tym samym miejscu, w tym Pictures – always take them in the
samym oświetleniu (najlepiej sztucznym, z góry i same place, with the same light
lekko od przodu lub naturalnym bocznym – stojąc (preferably artificial light, from the
bokiem do okna), tym samym sprzętem i w ten sam top and slightly from the front, or
sposób (bez lampy błyskowej!) natural side light while standing
sideways to the window) using the
same equipment (with flash off!)

164