Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha

and utilize before you have to worry much about gluconeogenesis. This is, very probably, due to the fact that intense weight training increases levels of testosterone, which in turn increases the rate of protein synthesis and nitrogen retention.
    Therefore, we would argue that even on a low-carb diet, if you’re training intensely and as long as calories are still low enough to allow for fat loss, you can do exceedingly well setting protein intake at around 1 gram per pound of LBM as a jumping-off point. All of that, again, applies primarily to low-carb diets where insulin control is the primary goal.
    Most of our clients use some form of carb cycling, which we’ll explain in part 3, and in this case protein intake fluctuates along with carbohydrate intake. In that situation, we’ll often go as high as 1.25 grams of protein per pound of LBM, which we find allows for satiety without any detrimental effect on the rate of fat loss.

    That said, we don’t really care for the minimalist approach, mainly because if we take in the minimal amount of protein and still look to have adequate calories . . . well, those calories have to come from somewhere, and your choices are carbs and fat. We don’t see the need to sacrifice convenience and satiety simply to keep protein as low as possible.
    Which is why we prefer a maximalist approach to protein. This is about eating as much protein as you can get away with eating before it becomes either counterproductive relative to your goals or unhealthy.
    For the purposes of fat loss, if you’re taking in too much protein—upward of 2 grams per pound of body weight—the amino acids will be broken down into glucose or substances that react very much like sugar. Put simply: protein becomes carbs. (Well, sort of. But you get the idea.)
    Which means this: if you are on a diet that depends on insulin control, it is detrimental to overeat protein. Some studies have shown that gluconeogenesis can occur with as little as 0.8 grams of protein per pound of LBM. But as a general rule (and one that’s very easy to calculate), we recommend starting at 1 gram per pound of LBM and playing around from there.

    HIGH PROTEIN AND KIDNEY PROBLEMS: MORE BULLSHIT
    Some “experts” would like to have you believe that eating lots of protein will cause all sorts of problems, ranging from kidney stones and gallstones to extra arms growing out of your face.
    For most people, this is not a concern—or rather, it is a moot point. We say this because there’s no research showing any relationship between eating lots of protein and developing kidney problems. In fact, a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research tested up to 400 grams of protein per day without any negative consequences.
    Now, if you have a preexisting kidney problem, it’s possible that a higher protein diet could be hard on your body. But if you have a kidney problem, you should be talking to your doctor about your diet anyway. If you’re healthy, you are clear to eat protein and not worry about any health problems. Because there are none. But remember, protein still contains calories. So if you eat tons of protein, you will eventually gain weight. The laws of thermogenesis do not bend for protein, even if it is delicious.

    Again, the exact formulas are coming soon. We just don’t want to worry about explaining once we get to the program. By that time, we hope you can dig in, get it, and begin your transformation.
    For those of you looking to gain muscle and eat tons of protein, set your intake at about 1.5 grams per pound of your desired LBM, which means that if you currently have 160 pounds of lean mass and you’d like to gain 10 pounds of muscle, just multiply 170 by 1.5 and arrive at 255 grams of protein. Move up from there as needed or desired.
    Of course, high protein intake can help with muscle; after all, isn’t it true that eating more protein can lead to a more anabolic environment in your body? Well, that’s certainly what the muscle magazines would have you believe. And, to be fair, it is true—to a point.
    However, it is very important to note that, once again, we’re dealing with diminishing returns. Which means that you will not gain more muscle eating 400 grams of protein per day than you will eating 300 grams of protein per day.

CHAPTER 7
    The End of Dieting
    WHY INTERMITTENT FASTING WILL CHANGE YOUR BODY AND YOUR LIFE
    “What some call health, if purchased by perpetual anxiety about diet,