Why is it that Lipitor is the most prescribed, most used, and best selling drug EVER? To reduce cholesterol levels in the body, right? And why do that? Because a diet high in saturated fat leads to higher levels of cholesterol which clogs your arteries and leads to heart disease and potentially death, right? So lowering your cholesterol levels will lower the risk of heart disease and keep you alive longer. Where did THOSE ideas come from? What if you were to find out that that idea came about as a result of faulty science, was published, and subsequently became GRAF (generally regarded as fact)? Do drug companies like Pfizer have our best interests and health in mind when they advertise and sell this drug, or are they more interested in profits and the bottom line? What about the doctors that prescribe this medication? Should you be worried about eating a diet high in saturated fat or about the results of your most recent blood test that said your LDLs were too high and HDLs too low?

The following video (thanks, Michael) is an excerpt from a movie called "Fat Head: You've been fed a load of bologna". I haven't seen the movie yet, however, if it's anything like this excerpt, I can't wait!

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Today's Workout

Overhead Squats 15-15-15-15

Coaches Notes:
- On each attempt, load the bar with as much weight as you think you can do 15 times.
- The gold standard is bodyweight!

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This may be one of Andy's most important posts ever. I know I haven't been able to think about food the same since reading "Good Calories, Bad Calories" By Gary Taubes. It is very possible (and probable) that common sense about diet and disease is 100% wrong.

As Woody Allen said, everything our parents said was bad for you turns out to be good.

Although I do agree with what much of the trailer states, remember that you can find a handful of scientists and "professionals" that will refute ANYTHING that is GRAF.

You can find 10 doctors that will tell you tobacco is good for you. (in Woody Allens's "Sleeper", a doctor said that, too.)

60 overhead squats with 100# = 3 tons of fun...cant wait til 12...

Hey Crossfit LA...Leeny here from St. Louis (Margaret Levy's sister) and your post is right on. At the beginning of January, my parents were bemoaning the fact that their yearly doctor visit was coming in early February and they had to get their blood drawn. The holidays had been berry, berry good to them and my dad's weight was way up. They are both 69 years old and my dad is on cholesterol medicine and has had issues with his heart. My gym, Crossfit St.Louis, was embarking on a Paleo Challenge and I put them to the task as well. I asked them to cut out grains, dairy, legumes and alcohol. I also instructed them to read the Gary Taubes article from the NY times and sent them info from the "Fathead" blog. They stuck to the diet and were determined to get good results from their tests. Well, they had their blood drawn last week after almost 30 days on Paleo and got their results on Wednesday. The doctor was amazed at the changes in their values, especially my dad's lipid profile. His cholesterol came down about 50 points, almost to where he could get off medication. His HDL dropped a little, but his LDL dropped significantly bringing his ratio down quite a bit. Finally his triglycerides dropped almost 70 points and his glucose is now normal. My mom's values were already pretty good, but they also improved from last year. Needless to say, they were ecstatic about the results. My dad enjoys eating this way and my mom is a great, creative cook so they will continue on paleo. Did I say that he lost 20 lbs?? And, he says he is not hungry eating like this. I think the USDA guidelines are a joke. I think it all has been a big fat lie!!

If you are being honest you should question your most strongly held beliefs and on this website that is Crossfit itself. Although Crossfit is superior to 99.99% of what people consider fitness training that still leaves alot of room for improvement. General Physical Preparedness (GPP) that Crossfit kicks ass at is great for most people but in the end your goal of elite fitness is too personal to leave to GPP.

That's a really good point. Often, people question everything except their basic assumptions. Sometimes there are things that are too deep in the background for people even to realize that they should be questioned. It becomes like a fish questioning water.

i just started reading the Zone book yesterday (which makes the same point as this clip) and it struck me as dead on as the Crossfit manifesto when I first read that. I'm like, wow, this shit actually has been figured out, it's just not GRAF yet. I remember reading South Beach with a similar head-nodding belief in the science behind it. That guy too was a heart doctor with all the same concerns as Zone guy. Yet his conclusions were way different. When I did the low-carb diet for a month I did lose some weight, but I did not gain the energy levels and strength that Zone seeks to provide. Also, it's a sucky diet. Too much will power involved. My trainer at the time derided South Beach as unfit for an athletic person. I got pissy because who can you believe! Everybody you talk to tells you something different. If Crossfit has provided me with one thing I can apply to the rest of my life it's to measure progress and performance. People can tell you this that and the other will work but until you measure it for yourself and feel it for yourself, how can you really know? A month ago I got blood work done and had an LDL count of 133, which is 3 points above the high end of 50-130 normal range. My doctor talked to me about Lipitor and said it's highly effective with little side effect but that I'm not at a stage where I need it yet. He prescribed Omega-3 fish oil instead. He said that to date no one has been able to prove much by way of the effects of exercise and diet on LDL level - except if you run marathons and eat Vegan. I was like, I'm heading in that direction... so maybe it'll be better. He didn't seem to support that idea. Didn't dissuade me, but I got the idea that he didn't buy it as a tenable lifestyle - and ultimately I have to agree. So yesterday I'm reading Zone and all the dots start connecting. Insulin control, not calorie control. Balance of carbs, protein and fat. Moderation. Fat is good, like Omega 3 (maybe if I do Zone I don't need to take Omega 3 pills!). Protein is good. Carbs are good. All these other diets malign one or the other of the essential things we need. Zone is the most common-sense sounding thing I've heard. Just like Crossfit is not into endurance running because endurance is at the expense of some of the 9 other core abilities we want. This makes sense to me from experience. I expect there will be some growing pain adjusting to Zone, just like with Crossfit, but I expect the benefits to be measurable improvements in my energy levels, waistline and blood work. We shall see. I'll report back in a few month.

Since moving here, I have been forced to eat only fresh fruits and veggies and lean meat - it's all that we have. There are no prepackaged foods, nothing processed, nothing with additives. I'm having my checkup done again in April and I look forward to seeing what a diet of "real food" will do to my body chemistry.

I do agree with Casey that it is important to find out what works for your body and what doesn't and that will only happen through trial and error. It has taken me years to find out what works for me. In the past, I have tried vegetarian and vegan diets as well as diets that cut out processed sugar completely and yet keep in other carbs. I've tried cutting dairy and incorporating more meat, etc. I knew the zone wouldn't work for me with all of the counting and being allowed to eat 3 whole almonds at once! The thought made me feel deprived. Then I tried the paleo diet. I don't follow it completely as written because again, through trial and error, as written doesn't work for me either. I continue to drink soy milk, I put protein powder in my smoothies and honey in my tea. Here have been my results:
1. My adult acne which I have been struggling with since I was 10 years old (I'm 36 now), is gone.
2. The fat around my middle is disappearing. I can actually see my ab muscles.
3. My energy is more even throughout the day.
4. My appetite is naturally lower. That doesn't mean I still don't eat a lot, but my body feels like it's getting what it needs rather than it being robbed of nutrients and constantly needing more fuel to function.
5. I actually crave vegetables.
6. Sweets and breads are easier to turn down. That doesn't mean that I don't partake every once in a while or at holiday time. I eat paleo about 90% of the time. When I decide that I'm going to treat myself, I enjoy it rather than going into some stupid shame spiral and say I have fallen off the wagon. I finally realized there isn't a wagon. I'm on the road! I'm so over not being allowed to enjoy a treat! (Also, I like to bake. I'm really enjoying baking cookies with my daughter. It won't be long and she will have better things to do than bake with her mom so I'm enjoying it while I can.)
7. I don't have digestive problems any more; nausea, gas, bloating, etc, gone. I also don't get bloated around my periods.
8. My hair and skin aren't dry anymore.
9. My weight stays down and I don't have to starve myself.
10. OK ladies, this one is for you...My boobs are not shrinking from Crossfitting like they used to when I was on a high carb diet. They actually grew back! 2 sizes!! We don't have to be doomed to pancake raisinet boobs! Seriously!!!
11. We need fat and cholesterol. It is what makes up the very foundation of our cells. Any basic anatomy class will tell you that. It's about our bodies being able to process what we give it.

Ok Princess, #10 was for me! And a fantastic share overall. Thanks.

- c

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