"Biggest Loser" Fitness Guru (age 51) Suffers Serious Heart Attack

[Dan W]

The KMUD thing was a body fat percentage of 30%, so potentially lower than people are picturing from a BMI. Context:

Andrew: Would you start with what you think the ideal body fat percentage should be?
Ray: I think it varies according to gender and age. For example, young women who are overweight have better outcome of breast cancer (a lower incidence of breast cancer) than those who are underweight.
Sarah: And what are you saying [as] young women?
Ray: In the 20's and 30's. And one of the greatest increases in cancer is occurring among women between the ages of 25 and the early 30's. It's tripled in the last 30 or 40 years in that age group. But because of that relationship it's better for a young woman to be on the plump side...
Andrew: With saturated fats...
Ray: Yeah, if it's a good diet. And then in older people, being somewhat leaner for women is reducing the risk of breast cancer. But in old people in general mortality is lower with heavier body weight. They just have a greater resistance to stresses. So you have to look at the individual, and their age and gender. And overall mortality goes down in old people who are slightly on the heavy side.
Andrew: So it's very much relative to age then. Age and gender then, because obviously that percentage will change.
Sarah: I thought you said that older people who are slightly more plump have...
Andrew: Yeah, he did...
Sarah: Have a more decreased mortality.
Ray: Yeah, same with increased cholesterol. And a slight increase in blood pressure in old age is good. Same thing with...
Andrew: What do you think that body fat percentage would be then? 20%? 24%?
Ray: I think a little higher.
Sarah: That's pretty low.
Andrew: That's too low, huh?
Sarah: I remember when I was 19 I had it measured at 19%
Andrew: Ah, ok.
Sarah: The person said, "I don't think you'd ever be able to get pregnant at 19%."
Andrew: So how about 30%?
Ray: Yeah, I think 30%.

 

[WestCoaster]

Not enough K2. Carb content too high, Fat content too low. Of course I'm just speculating here, but obviously calcium is ending up where it shouldn't which means there is some sort of K2 problem. Of course, too much exercise, too much cortisol narrowing the arteries enabling the chance of a heart attack to occur at a much greater possibility.

40/30/30 is a very common diet among the fitness, and is often followed and preached.

Just eyeballing his diet, here is his problem:

Whole wheat or multigrain breads - Nutritionless; body does not have the appropriate enzymes to break down these things despite what people want to think or believe
Brown Rice - Not as easily digestable as white rice (and for the same reasons as above)
Fruits - That is if he ate too much
Oats - If he didn't soak them in an acidic medium for a day or 2 to make them more easily digestiable (going back to point 1, enzymes)
All listed Proteins - Due to leaness, all highly insulinogenic. 0% great yogurt is nothing more than a paperweight, again highly insulinogenic, and Tofu (xenoestrogens)

Obviously a whole lot of inflammation floating around in this dudes body; 70% of his diet was garbage. But of course, people ultimately will learn the hard way one way or the other.

 

[tankasnowgod]

I was just thinking this same thing. When they say genetics, but they do not say what SNPs or anything like, its basically akin to saying "God caused his heart attack, did the same to his mom, God works in mysterious ways and you can't run," in like the 800s.

Genetic Calvinism.

 

[tankasnowgod]

The KMUD thing was a body fat percentage of 30%, so potentially lower than people are picturing from a BMI. Context:

I think the healthy ranges for bodyfat percentages are about 10% higher for women than they are for men, FWIW.

 

[Such_Saturation]

Genetic Calvinism.

Yup

 

[HLP]

People need to own what's going on with their bodies and not pass the genetic buck. Nothing is learned when this happens. I'm sure glad my eyes were opened to how to properly recover and maintain excellent health.

 

[tara]

Peat has suggested that a BMI of around 30 to be ideal for longevity, so we need a bit of padding to see us through stressful events and if the padding is the saturated type then our resistance to stress will be greater.

He said it in the last KMUD show,it was in relation to women I think even though the caller was male?

Unless I'm confusing it with a different interview, I recall Peat saying that too thin was not ideal, and that for women somewhere around 30% body fat might be good. That could well be less than BMI 30 for many women.

My understanding of mortality stats is that they tend in general to associate greater longevity to people in the misnamed 'overweight' category (BMI 25-30), and that in some health conditions the stats seem to associate higher fat with better survival. Haidut has some threads related to the so-called 'obesity paradox'.

In recent years I've seen more than one case of elders losing quite a lot of weight while recovering from traumatic events. I'd hate to think how they would have fared without that reserve to draw on.

 

[Drareg]

Unless I'm confusing it with a different interview, I recall Peat saying that too thin was not ideal, and that for women somewhere around 30% body fat might be good. That could well be less than BMI 30 for many women.

My understanding of mortality stats is that they tend in general to associate greater longevity to people in the misnamed 'overweight' category (BMI 25-30), and that in some health conditions the stats seem to associate higher fat with better survival. Haidut has some threads related to the so-called 'obesity paradox'.

In recent years I've seen more than one case of elders losing quite a lot of weight while recovering from traumatic events. I'd hate to think how they would have fared without that reserve to draw on.

His estimate makes sense imo if the fat is stored in the right areas,he mentions before about certain Hormones putting more fat in the wrong areas,he mentioned the areas that give ladies that preferred pear shape I think?

 

[tallglass13]

On Harper's Pintrest and recipe book, he uses Avocado and peanut butter in a lot of his meals. So high PUFA. he was into Green smoothies for a while.

 

[michael94]

I thought the benefit of fat was that it's better to have toxins stored there than in other tissues? And not that there is something inherently healthy about having extra fat?

 

[redlight]

Jack lalanne had similar diet and exercise routine

 

[redlight]

Ben had eggs every day .... let see what the studies say about eggs

Dietary cholesterol increases the susceptibility of low density lipoprotein to oxidative modification. - PubMed - NCBI
Consumption of eggs with meals increases the susceptibility of human plasma and low-density lipoprotein to lipid peroxidation. - PubMed - NCBI
Consumption of saturated fat impairs the anti-inflammatory properties of high-density lipoproteins and endothelial function. - PubMed - NCBI
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/circulationaha/108/22/2757.full.pdf
Effects of dietary cholesterol on serum cholesterol: a meta-analysis and review. - PubMed - NCBI
Facts and principles learned at the 39th Annual Williamsburg Conference on Heart Disease
Dietary lipids and blood cholesterol: quantitative meta-analysis of metabolic ward studies.
Protein methionine content and MDA-lysine adducts are inversely related to maximum life span in the heart of mammals. - PubMed - NCBI
A review of methionine dependency and the role of methionine restriction in cancer growth control and life-span extension. - PubMed - NCBI
Generation of gaseous sulfur-containing compounds in tumour tissue and suppression of gas diffusion as an antitumour treatment. - PubMed - NCBI

 

[tara]

I thought the benefit of fat was that it's better to have toxins stored there than in other tissues? And not that there is something inherently healthy about having extra fat?

My guess is that it's not all that well understood yet exactly what all the mechanisms are - the body is a very complex system.

Not sure what you are counting as 'extra' fat. We have access to some statistics, but I don't think we really have much of a way to know what is 'extra' for a particular individual.

Benefits of fat:
- Thermal insulation - this can be relevant if the metabolism is flagging, especially around the vital organs, and esp in cold climates, or if you have to swim for your lunch, etc.
- shock absorption/padding around and between organs
- reserve energy - this has probably conferred the kind of resilience that has allowed human/prehuman survival through many evolutionary bottlenecks, and is still important for much of the human race. How much one needs for this depends on various factors, but whether or not one is in danger of future famines etc is an important consideration. It seems common for elders to gradually lose weight as they age. Having some to lose may be one of the reasons why more than weight is associated with
- probably more things we don't yet know about how adipose tissue functions as part of the endocrine system

It does seem that when people who do not have a history of calorie restriction eat a range of foods to appetite, most of them tend to maintain their weight within a fairly close range (unless something else is going on - eg major inflammatory conditions, etc). When people try to force fat loss by calorie restriction, the most common medium/long term effect is fat gain. Seems that the body is disposed for some reason to maintain it's weight, including some fat (how much can vary a lot from person to person), and that it often responds as though to stress to many of the common ways people try to change the energy balance to reduce fat size. I'm picking there is at least a chance there are good (ie health-supportive) reasons for this that are not only about exposures to recently invented chemicals.

 

[ecstatichamster]

I think fat is a reservoir for hormones and although adoposity is related to inflammation I think here are huge benefits to some fat. And huge problems with too much weight loss too fast.

 

[Ella]

He looks androgenic and not hypothyroid. However his hairline isn't too good which is correlated with heart attacks.

Can you go into some detail regarding your diet and lifestyle change? 27 kilos is crazy. Also how has your mindset/outlook on life changed since Peating?

I remember, looking very androgynous. No boobs, could never fill in those low-cut revealing necklines like my bustier friends. Hell I didn't even want boobs, such a nuisance and for a long time would not wear a bra, still hate them. Typical tomboy. There were not many boys that could out run or out compete me for energy. I spent most of my youth training to beat my personal best. When I added weight training to my routine my body became leaner and more defined. So it was quite a shock when the hormones came in when pregnant with my first child. My body just exploded and yes I got boobs. But it wasn't the pregnancies that made me fat, it was my crazy stressful lifestyle. always trying to beat my personal best; a perfectionist to a T in everything. I had to control everything around me there was no room for ****-ups. I had read all those books on women having it all, multi-tasking blah, blah blah at nausea. The perfect body, perfect husband, perfect family, perfect home, perfect career, perfect life and for a while I was breezing through a charmed life until it all came a gutsa. During those heady years, it seemed that I if I could think it, then I could manifest it. Pretty awesome, the ability to focus one's mind and energy and make it happen. Yes adrenaline, and cortisol are very powerful drugs.

Constatine, you can search my other entries and see how a charmed life can so easily come asunder when the system is running on adrenaline and those youth hormones are no longer on tap.

I think like Peat says the magic happens when you swap the starches for fruit. Eating this way is fine being sedentary and it's summertime. Fruit is very cooling. Winter time requires more warmth. Stewed fruits with custard are very warming and relax the nervous system. Fruits are fine is you a sedentary but if I am physically active I need starchy carbohydrates or a combination of both simple and complex. I am doing hard labouring task for like 10 - 14 hours then I just would not last on fruit and milk. I feel better on 6 small meals a day and the more I eat the more stable my blood sugars. I am in the process of cutting back to 3 meals and eating all my meals during daylight hours. I tend to bring it all undone if I stray away from my optimised eating plan and if I start to skip meals or get too busy. I think weight will come off faster if I am only eating 3 meals, less snacking but still same calories. I feel that my body just needs lot more food and I am always hungry. I feel the best when I include all those Peaty foods. It is only when I omit a certain food for a while that I realise that it was doing me good. For example, I went the whole winter without oysters and noticed that the diet is not the same without them. Even though, I included prawns somehow the oysters fill the gap more completely. Or if I reduce milk, then I feel that there is something in the milk that is not provided by the other foods. Damn, it is so hard trying to isolate those factors that are beneficial. I think it is probably due to the synergy of all those foods put together. So the fact that the quantity of food is reduced the nutrient content is extremely high; calories are coming from nutrient dense foods and not being increased by fat calories and animal protein (inflammatory amino acids) calories. Also, I am not eating huge amounts of low carbohydrate vegetables to make up the calories. I also included whole grains and beans like cannelini, chickpeas sometimes lentils but not as frequently as I would have before Peat. A bowl of oxtail soup with beans, wholegrains, root vegetables and silverbeet can be very warming and be satisfying on a cold winter's day. Grains must be organic and not sprayed with fungicides, pesticides or other chemicals. I am particularly sensitive to mycotoxins. This is the reason that I feel that I can't completely remove animals foods from my diet. The sulfur amino acids are important for liver detoxification pathways. Having the gelatin broth with the beans and wholegrains provides an added layer of protection in ensuring proper digestion. Of course proper soaking of grains and beans. Peat stated somewhere an alkaline solution like calcium hydroxide rather than acidic solution for soaking which I will be incorporating into my food prep.

I started doing liver once a week but somehow having it more than once is better for me. I thought being fat meant that my metabolism was low so did not want to overdo the liver. However, more liver feels good for me, probably due to B-Vitamins and much, much more. If I try to supplement with B-vitamins I don't do so good. Liver the nutrients are beautifully balanced. Now I make it into a pate with leeks and mushrooms and have whenever I feel hungry with vegetable sticks. Bread is the biggest issue for me. Best that bread is not in the house. But who can resist pate on sourdough bread or marmalade on toast. I tried making my own sourdough to avoid the potassium iodide in the bread but it was too much work and I don't have the time for it. I do sweet potato (not orange ones) slices (with lots of spices) in the oven but need to brush with some sort of fat. Coconut oil is my preferred but it gets expensive. I spread the pate on slices of sweet potatoes instead of bread when I feel I need more starch. I keep a big dish of the cooked sweet potato in the fridge to eat if I am hungry or use in other dishes like la sagnia with eggplants, mushrooms and sometimes I add spinach or beautiful fresh swiss chard when in session. I love swiss chard (silverbeets) with boiled potatoes and parmasen and crusty bread soaked in potato water with plenty salt. I have reduced my butter but sometimes crave it really bad with bread and marmalade. I love ice-cream with stewed fruits, dates or peaches and apricots. I will be reducing ice-cream. I found weight comes down when ice-cream is reduced. However, weight does not go up if I eat it and believe me I have been eating heaps because it is so hot. I have reduced my dairy because I felt that I was not utilising the calcium efficiently which is why I am trying to optimise vitamin D. I prefer to get the D from sunshine while we still have it and will increase progesterone to upregulate vitamin d receptors. I have lamb 1-3 times a week and then will go a few months without it. Lamb is my favourite meat. Peat says chicken is OK every ten days but why have chicken when you can have lamb?

I have always been a smart arse, but now I am just a bad arse mamma. Peat was a god-send to me. I felt more confident about my own research course and my struggles with the whole gene-centric concept of disease. I didn't feel like a lone wolf and was reassured that I was not mad and that there were other like-minded intelligent people out there that saw the science like I did. I was researching milk and retinol both these were taboo areas. I should have been looking for genes. I am now no longer hyper-vigilant and I am not sure I like being so calm. Somehow it doesn't feel right. More diplomatic and try harder to make friends rather than enemies. More assertive rather than aggressive; more selfish, more in control, less likely to put up a fight; not only a waste of precious energy; it also triggers the fight-flight response. Less likely to squander energy unless there is a real tiger chasing me. I am no longer a perfectionist - simply don't care and it just does not matter anymore. Near enough is now good enough and if it doesn't get done then sometime before I'm dead will be fine. The sense of urgency to get things done is not there. I feel I am too laid back. Maybe it is a sign of just giving up on trying to change the status quo and contend with just being and not doing. It could be a sign of old age though I don't feel old.

I am not happy about being sedentary and as soon as I can slot in extra time I will increase my exercise level to increase strength and tighten up loose skin. I am currently working on an idea for loose skin and if I get results will post about it. It is not very Peaty but at this point in time, I am willing to experiment and see what happens - it is the only way to know for sure. I have been in protection mode for such a long time that I am now ready to throw caution to the wind; be a little more risque. A bit of my old self coming through. Hopefully, I will not be disappointed.

What I do know from eating this way, is that it makes one resistant to stress. I don't have answers because it is a work in progress. I will only know once I make it to the other side surviving and thriving into old age, younger than when I entered it. These are unchartered waters and what works for me may not work for others.

 

[sladerunner69]

Especially the one about Ben Franklin and Napoleon.

What is that? Is there mroe information on benf ranklin and napoleon heart attacks somewhere?

 

[Ella]

I've made some progress myself, confirming what you say here and what haidut has said about stress and weight gain, and suggesting that there is a solution and I'm getting close, but I've also experienced progress regularly grind to a halt

SQu, thanks for the support and so glad that you are making progress. Life is a ***t sometimes and we can't control the people around us, what happens in the workplace, our financial situation especially when we are not well. I often think it would be so easy not to have a husband, children and family. I would have complete control over my life and I could live a carefree nonstressed life. Actually, have time for myself rather than caring for those around me. Modern life is particularly hard on women. Our monthly cycles throw us off course when we are young, then pregnancy; childrearing and finally menopause happens when we are in the midst of our careers, children at home, elder care. It seems the time for us never comes, then what happens when we break? Who is going to care for us? Treat each day as a new start and as long as we keep our focus on the goal we will get there one step at a time. Use the setbacks to learn and to better hone your strategy.

Nobody thinks that laying on the couch 24/7 is the best thing for health.

And isn't the Fred Kummerow guy into avoiding shitty oils etc. And if i remember correctly he does things like relaxed swimming, walking etc.?

Well said. I hope no-one thinks that I am advocating being sedentary and losing weight as the new fad to losing weight. I hate being sedentary but my body was in such a bad state - shock; physically breaking down that it was not possible for me to even walk. I had no choice but to lay on the couch 24/7. I could understand if my body had been in some sort of accident but there way no accident. My body was being torn down by stress hormones. I had to find a way to rebuild my body and it was painfully slow. I remember, telling myself all I need to do is place one foot in front of the other and keep pushing myself each day to go further. It is only now that I have confidence in subjecting my body to a heavier workout. My hormonal status is more balanced and if you are going to do strenuous exercise allow plenty of time for recovery. Switch sympathetic autonomic system off so parasympathetic can repair and rejuvenate and by doing so we would not have the digestive problems that plague us today. We are not fricken machines.

Yes, the shitty oils, they need to be out of the body to be resistant to stress. STRESS is the operative word here. Humans are poor judges when it comes to deciphering what is stressful to the body. Humans just keep pushing until they break. We need to be kinder to our body to last the distance of a long life. It is all about balance and moderation.

 

[Ella]

Also, many shows have insanely long shooting schedules, sometimes lasting 16-20 hours a day for weeks on end. And as someone whose job depends on him "looking" fit, its possible that he also used dangerous water cutting techniques or drugs to get and/or stay fit.

ditto.

 

[damngoodcoffee]

I hate being sedentary but my body was in such a bad state - shock; physically breaking down that it was not possible for me to even walk. I had no choice but to lay on the couch 24/7. I could understand if my body had been in some sort of accident but there way no accident. My body was being torn down by stress hormones. I had to find a way to rebuild my body and it was painfully slow.

I've been there too. After tripping too much with magic mushrooms.

 

[Ella]

I've been there too. After tripping too much with magic mushrooms.

Very interesting??? - What mechanism do you think was at play??? Do magic mushrooms over- use the sympathetic nervous system? What other stresses were you dealing with? Were you using the mushroom to relieve other stresses in your life? Bad diet - nutrient deficiencies are a big stress on the system.