Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha

programs to low-carb, and the protein to more-protein (because every diet needs protein), you discover something that would surprise most people. Many diets work. There is no magic bullet. There is no “killer” food that ruins your eating plan. That’s just not how our bodies work. But what causes diets to fail are psychological and social limitations that men don’t deal with—no booze, no late-night eating, or no burgers. You need something with rules that work but also flexibility that allows you to have a life you can enjoy—and a body you can enjoy looking at.
    On the most basic level, only two things matter: the calories you eat and taking in some balance of macronutrients—proteins, carbs, and fats. The manipulation of those macronutrients and calories on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis is the special sauce that allows for progress. In our program sometimes you’ll find that you’ll eat fewer carbs. Other times it’ll be fat. And in other situations you will need more protein . . . and carbs . . . and fats to reach your goals.
    So if all foods are fair game and eating some bad foods is actually okay, then why do so many people struggle with their diet?
    It’s because the system of eating is broken. It’s based on mistruths, mistakes, and dogma. People are taught that eating can only be done one way, and their indoctrination creates a system in which their body always wants and expects food. They burn less fat because they spend too much time eating. And they struggle with binges because they’re told to resist the foods they love—which of course only results in them eating more of those foods than they would otherwise.
    This is why intermittent fasting is so successful. It eliminates all the problems that cause you to fail. We’ll walk you through the different forms of intermittent fasting soon, but before we do, it’s important that you understand why it works and why it’s not only the most flexible plan you could find—but also much healthier than most believe.

    DIET FIX #1: MORE FLEXIBILITY TO CHOOSE WHEN YOU EAT
    People’s first reaction whenever we bring up intermittent fasting is always the same: don’t we need breakfast?
    Most people on an intermittent fasting plan forego eating during traditional breakfast time; instead of eating first thing in the morning, they have their first meal in the afternoon. (Although as you’ll see, you can still follow an intermittent fasting schedule and eat early in the morning.) This advice is exactly the opposite guidance bestowed by every authority from registered dietitians to MDs.
    For years, we’ve been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In fact, physicians are notorious for scolding patients who skip breakfast—particularly people who are embarking on a plan to lose weight.
    There is some credence here, by the way: a study conducted by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2008 showed that participants who ate a calorically dense breakfast lost more weight than those who didn’t. The espoused theory was that the higher caloric intake early in the day led people to snack less often throughout the day and lowered caloric intake overall. There are also some epidemiological studies that show a connection between skipping breakfast and higher body weight.
    However, the crux of the breakfast study is ultimately that a larger breakfast leads to lower overall caloric intake. That is, the argument for a larger breakfast ultimately boils down to energy balance; if that study is reliant on the position that weight loss comes down to calories in versus calories out, then the makeup of the food shouldn’t matter. If we’ve learned anything from Mark Haub’s Twinkie Diet, it’s that you can eat garbage and lose weight; so clearly, something else is going on.
    The only real argument the breakfast crowd has is insulin sensitivity. As you’ve learned by now, the more sensitive your body is to insulin, the more likely you are to lose fat and gain muscle. Increasing insulin sensitivity almost always leads to more efficient dieting.
    The pro-breakfast folks declare that because insulin sensitivity is higher in the morning, eating a carbohydrate-rich meal early in the day is the greatest opportunity to take in a large amount of energy without the danger of weight gain.
    There’s only one tiny problem with that theory: insulin sensitivity is not higher in particular hours of the morning. It’s higher after a