The Maker's Diet

Consider visiting www.jigsawhealth.com instead of using the pure Maker's Diet approach, which might be too low on carbs, etc. for you. Company founder Pat Sullivan (www.patsullivan.com) is a big proponent of exercise but also applies a lot of similar principles to his dietary recommendations, which are very focused on detoxification, natural foods, etc.

What do you mix with the Makers? I like to mix mine with Big-K Cola. Can't beat cheap cola and Makers.

Alan

And there it is.

I have a question - why would you want to go on a diet if you are doing 85-90 mpw???

Is this a cult? I have never heard of it.

it's suppose to be a spiritual thing.?

go figure -

It's not a weight-loss diet per se, although in theory some people will lose weight from it. Go to

www.makersdiet.com

to get more info but in a nutshell the guy who wrote the book suffered from Crohn's disease and tried a billion different treatments without having success until he heard about this guy in California who subscribed to something he called the Bible diet. Basically the California guy had researched the Jewish population from biblical times to the present and noticed that, in general, they were much more resilient than other groups of people (through things like the bubonic plague). His research is more complex than that but the bottom line is he concluded that their diet, the way God instructed them to eat in Old Testament times, was responsible for their health and longevity. So the author of the book moved to California and followed the diet and claims that his Crohn's disease was cured (there are photos of him in the book from before, when he was 6'0 and weighed 105 pounds, and after, when he weighed 175 pounds). Since then he has been spreading the word about this diet (which is really more of a lifestyle), which he believes can both prevent and cure most of our health problems and lead us to our optimum state of health. There's much more to it than that, but that's the basic story.

The book details a 40-day plan, comprising three phases, with the first phase being the strictest and the third phase being the most lenient. It's a completely kosher diet focusing on organic fruits, vegetables and eggs as well as free-range meats like beef, chicken, wild fish, etc. No alcohol, no pork, no shellfish, no added sugars, no simple carbohydrates. Very goat-intensive, i.e. goat cheese, goat milk, goat yogurt, etc. Coffee is allowed, but only certified organic. Many other things too but those are the highlights. Spring water preferred at all times.

The first phase, which I am on right now, also prohibits things like beans, rice, bread, pasta, starchy vegetables and fruits, etc. The idea is to radically "detoxify" the body and then gradually introduce other acceptable foods later. So basically at the moment my diet consists of goat by-products, eggs, lean meats, almonds (allowed in phase 1), organic vegetables, raw almond butter (also allowed, although few other nut butters are), tuna canned in spring water, and fresh berries. The complete lack of sugar is what's making me so lethargic I think, so I'm definitely making some coffee in the morning. Anyway, that's the basics.

yes-sirree-blob wrote:

I have a question - why would you want to go on a diet if you are doing 85-90 mpw???

Oh and I never really answered your question--I'm not trying to lose weight necessarily, but I just the way I eat is so far from the way I (or anyone else) was intended to eat that it will be good for me to give this a shot. If it doesn't make me feel better, look better, have more energy, whatever in 40 days, then so what? Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The first part of the diet sounds horrible for running. Not enough carbs, your running will suffer big time during this as carbs are the main source of fuel. You will be constantly glycogen depleted.

The Maker's Diet makes sense for just about everyone on Earth except runners, in fact the author is against long distance running because he says it isn't natural. It is a lifestyle more than a diet and the author doesn't preach like an annoying vegan - he stresses that saturated fat should be eaten every day.

The first phase is no question going to be the toughest for you. You've been running 80+ a week, just run whatever you can, even if its just 20 miles. Phase 1 is only 10 days or so and your body could probably use the rest. Your body is in shock from the sudden drop in carbs so take a break.

Managed to run 8 miles this morning and I feel like I just gutted a half-marathon. Had to stop 3 times to walk. The friend I ran with, who is also doing the diet, says this is how she felt in college when she was anemic but about 10 times worse. Legs were jello.

What were you expecting exactly? No one here can help you; if you're not eating any carbs you're going to feel like shit.

Obviously since I've never done anything like this before I didn't know what to expect...which is why I asked in my original post if anyone had any first-hand experience with doing the diet and trying to run. But thanks for your insight.

"Very goat-intensive"

I haven't stopped laughing since I came across this part of your original post. That is definitely a combination of words you won't see too often, though I vow to work it into conversation at least 3 times today.

"How's your training been going?"

"Oh, not bad. I've been trying to work in some more explosive stuff, like plyos and short, steep hills. It's all very goat-intensive, but I feel like it'll help in the long run."

"Did you say goat-intensive?"

"Yeah."

" . . . "

Seriously, though, I'm in the same camp as the guys who say back the mileage off for right now and just survive the detoxification period. Also, why no alcohol? The Jews principally drank wine with meals, and it's espoused as being good for digestion in at least one of the Old Testament books.

Lol I too enjoy the juxtaposition of goat-related words. Actually anything followed by intensive is usually good for a laugh. As for the alcohol part, yeah my friends and I were also hesitant about this part (and we all plan to incorporate red wine back into our diets after the 40 days). The author doesn't elaborate much on this in the book, although he talks about the benefits of "lacto-fermented beverages" which he believes "have supplied beneficial probiotics, enzymes and minerals, rapid hydration, and enhanced digestion to people throughout the world." Kefir, grape cooler, natural ginger ale, etc. He also says "many scholars believe that the 'new wine' consumed in the Bible was a nonalcoholic lacto-fermented beverage." In the third phase and beyond he does allow organic wine and beer in small amounts...so I guess maybe it just goes along with the detox premise of the first two phases? Ridding your body of toxins...and also eliminating things our bodies may have been addicted to.

I understand your need for staying awake, but don't you feel you're going against some of the principles of the diet, when you're slugging down coffee in the morning? Seems like caffeine would be one of the toxins you should be trying to get out of your body. I have completely given up caffeine on several occassions, and after an initial 2-3 day slump, I come back feeling very invigorated. Even now, I will only have a few caffeinated sodas a week. Consider cutting this out of your routine after that first phase is completed. You'll be happy you did.

Also, I think this effort is very impressive on your part -especially if you're able to stick with it. I hope it works out for you in the end, and your running is not affected, or is affected positively. Good luck!

Thanks for your encouragement...yeah in the book he allows certified organic coffee, which you can sweeten with a tablespoon or so of honey. This is the third day of the diet and the first day I've had any, and just one cup. Like alcohol, this isn't one of the items he devotes most of his time to in the book, although he is anti-caffeine in general. Let me re-read some of that and get back to you.

Just to clear things up for you. Your going to feel like absolute crap while your not consuming many carbs. As someone had posted earlier your going to be in a chronic state of glycogen depletion. Why does this matter? Because during normal runs your body relies primarily on carbohydrates for fuel. Well with your low carb diet, there's no fuel, so your running out of gas a lot sooner. So you have to start burning fat for energy which is way less effecient. Normally the hitting the wall feeling experienced in a marathon is when your glycogen stores are almost completely depleted and you rely almost solely on fat for energy. The problem is with your low carb diet, you start off with incredibly low glycogen stores. So you run out of fuel way before you should. Thus during this low carb diet, keep the pace EASY and maybe even shorten the runs a bit because you don't want to hit the wall every run. In addition you can NOT do anaerobic work, you can't burn fat anaerobicly, so anaerobic work with little glycogen stores would lead to a disaster. Basically this low carb portion of the diet will kill your running.

To give you an example of what the low glycogen stores and diet due to you, here's some facts from a study:

Carb intake Glycogen Content Exercise to exhaustion

15% of diet 53 mmol/kg 57 minutes

RDA intake (normal) 100 mmol/kg 114 minutes

high carb diet 205 mmol/kg 167 minutes

the first one is you during the first 10 days.

1) Do you have Crohn's disease or other digestive problems?

2) Might you have a wheat gluten sensitivity?

I have wheat/gluten sensitivities so I rarely nowadays touch pizza, cereal, etc. But I make sure I get enough carbs mainly through rice and corn. If I do eat wheat products, I eat them in very small portions like in the morning before a run, I will eat one pancake smothered in maple syrup a one piece of toast with butter and jelly.