I’m maybe 8 percent body fat. 148 pounds and already super-lean by conventional standards. So how exactly am I going to shed 10.5 pounds over the course of the next 12 weeks without losing power and energy for the http://ibjjf.com/ Masters World Championships in late August?

Answer: My drop to the light featherweight category will be fueled by a Ketogenic Diet http://authoritynutrition.com/ketogenic-diet-101/. High Fat. Low carbs. Low sugar. And significantly less protein than most athletes consume (because yes, excess protein can be excreted from the body, but some of that excess protein is also converted to sugar in the body, which is not ideal, according to Ketogenic theory).

Believe me, I eat well. It is never a good idea to deprive a man of Italian ancestry of his food, so I still feast quite often. I’ve simply changed what I eat.

For instance, at lunch today I devoured:

*Kale soup with celery, carrots and sea salt;

* About 1/3 a pound of Grass-fed New Zealand lamb covered in sauteed mushrooms, onions, garlic and a mix of cayenne pepper, paprika and oregano;

*1/2 small avocado

*pico de gallo

*a whole grain tortilla cloaked with a teaspoon of olive oil;

*alkaline water with fresh-squeezed lemon (a source of real Vitamin C versus the “fake” ascorbic acid that dominates grocery store shelves but isn’t real Vitamin C (very valuable video to watch by Dr. Darren Schmidt, especially if you have heart problems or atherosclerosis)

Today’s breakfast consisted of:

*one organic buckwheat pancake gingerly coated in organic coconut oil and organic honey;

*two organic, free-range, pasture-raised Vital Farms eggs (yolks included, since they contain valuable fat);

*two organic teas (one Rooibos Chai, another a Moringa Green tea);

Worth noting: I am not experimenting with this diet to see if it works. I would never do that in the lead-up to a major tournament. It would be too risky. I mean, what if I tried the diet and it failed me in some ways?

Instead of experimenting, I did quite a bit of research AND relied on my past experience, with my body, which in the past has responded very well to a high-fat diet. Like most Americans, traditionally I’ve consumed way too many carbs, way too much protein, and way too much sugar — while also demonizing fat. I ate that way for most of my life, in fact. Even when I thought I was eating “clean” it turns out my diet was still too high in sugar, carbs and protein.

While not a vegan, I do eat mostly like one. But when my body is crying out for meat, as it was this past Sunday, I answer the call. I don’t demonize meat-eating but I believe we eat way too much of it — and the more I learn about how our meat is processed, nasty chemicals added, etc… the less I desire or trust it. The more I trust the source, the more inclined I am to eat meat once or twice a week. My personal preference.

Benefits of the Kenogenic Diet:

I’m not saying this diet is for you. Just apprising people of my current approach and philosophy of food. In the past week alone I’ve shed roughly three pounds (combined with my BJJ, wrestling and grappling training, swimming, running, weightlifting, cycling, hiking, etc..).

Make no mistake, for the average person, diet trumps exercise. Diet is far more important. We are literally what we eat. Food is information. Food is vibration. Water is vibration. We are vibration. Consuming better food equals a better vibration, better recovery, better balanced hormones, better mind clarity, more peace of mind, and potentially better decision-making. The better I eat, the clearer I think, the more age-defying I feel. My approach has always been to eat organic as much as possible, to avoid as many chemicals as possible, to research often and keep an open mind, and to avoid HGH, steroids, testosterone, creatine and nearly all of the muscle-enhancing supplements that grow ever more popular year-by-year (not judging anyone here, just saying that’s my philosophy and mindset: To see how much I can squeeze out of myself without taking all the shortcuts and consuming gobs of chemicals and minus the alleged “wonder drugs”).

Hope you liked this post. Stay tuned for more stories about the Ketogenic Diet, my progress and if you like my materials can also follow me on https://www.facebook.com/mindjitsu/ or on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLihdpybuf0CICDzGxBe_Kw

Thank you!

— Frank