Dr. Justin Marchegiani and Jamie Caporosso discusses matters on ketogenic lower carb Paleo as well as tips to improve performance and lose weight. They talk about the quality of macronutrients and how it is incredibly important. Find out more about where you can score these for yourself in this podcast episode.
Jamie Caporosso also shares what he eats on a typical day especially when he's out on the road and what it is like to be ketoadapted. Get to know about his CrossFit gym and an overview of the programs they run in addition to movements that you can start incorporating into your own workout.
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About Jamie Caporosso: Lifetime drug-free powerlifter, Strongman and CrossFit competitor. Referred to the Paleo lifestyle by a good friend in the interest of achieving optimal health. Jamie was looking for longevity and more important a healthy existence in the interest of his kids. Very reluctant to believe any of it so he did lots of research and decided to try it. What he found was that he got stronger, had less inflammation so he could recover faster, got lighter/leaner, and issues with Asthma and Arthritis went way. Soon after he discovered the CrossFit style of training.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Hey, there! It’s Dr. Justin Marchegiani here with Beyond Wellness Radio and today we have my Italian friend Jamie Caporosso. How are we doing, Jamie?
Jamie Caporosso: Good. So, how are you doing today?
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Very good. And just for all the listeners, Jamie owns a CrossFit gym over at Howell, Michigan and he does a lot with powerlifting, performance enhancement, and he has a lot with a ketogenic kinda lower carb Paleo and Jamie is gonna kinda tell us a little bit about his story and–and what he does with him and his–his clients at his gym to help improve performance, lose weight, and just–just overall kick more butt.
Jamie Caporosso: Right, right. Hey, thanks for having me. I really appreciate it.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Oh, it’s great for you to be here, Jamie. So we’re–we’re curious about your story. Can you tell us a little bit more about you and your background and how you came into this path?
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah, that would–yeah, no problem. Just for everyone out there listening, my–my background is not–not that health nut guy. I came from the, you know, the epitome of powerlifting where I was eat-lift, eat-big-lift-big.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Uh-hmm.
Jamie Caporosso: So it was eat everything–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Absolutely.
Jamie Caporosso: Everything you see in sight, just try–just try to get bigger thinking that depending on those leverages help for your–your squat mention, your deadlift. It wasn’t until later that I started looking at things a little closer. I was getting a little older. I had a couple of kids, started little–looking at my mortality a little bit closer and started thinking, well, you know, maybe–maybe being this big isn’t a good idea. Now granting I wasn’t huge by–by any means, I’m an all-natural drug-free powerlifter, but I did eat everything in sight. So during a–a quick physical with my doctor one day, he said, “You know, Jamie, there’s a direct correlation between belly fat and heart disease,” and I’m like, “Who’s he talking to?” You know, he knows me. I’m–I work out. You know?
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Right, right.
Jamie Caporosso: I think a lot of people have that mentality, as it–and maybe, maybe more so guys that they think they’re in better shape than–than they really are. So I started looking–looking at that a little closer and I said, “You know what, well, I’m gonna–I’m gonna lose some weight. I’m gonna lose some of this fat and–and lean out a little bit.” And so I went–it seemed like the obvious throughout to me in the beginning, as I went to look at what bodybuilders did. I said, “Well, you know, they lose fat professionally. That sounds like a good place to start.” So I started going down that path and some of the stuff didn’t really make sense to me and I was hungry all the time and–and what not. And I started talking with some friends and they said, “It sounds like what you’re really looking for more is an optimal health diet.” You wanna be healthy above anything. And I say, “Well, that’s true. That’s true.” That’s–that’s kinda what I was looking for and that kinda pulled me over into the–the Paleo world or sometimes I like to call it the natural human diet world.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Right.
Jamie Caporosso: Where–where you take a look at, you know, what did we eat the first 2 million years–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Uh-hmm.
Jamie Caporosso: In a nutshell and like I said, remember I was not that guy. And a little bit more on my background is I do have a–a degree in Clinical Laboratory Science in Biology from the University of Michigan. So as I was doing my research I would always start backing it up against the biology and–and then some of my–pulling out some of my old college textbooks and stuff like that and things started adding up.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Right.
Jamie Caporosso: And I didn’t like that to be honest with you because I was very anti-healthy eating. I didn’t wanna give up fastfood alley.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Right.
Jamie Caporosso: I just wanna give–you know, I didn’t wanna give up all my pizza and then, you know, like I said, you know, big plates of pasta with that Italian background is–is a hard pill to swallow.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Of course.
Jamie Caporosso: So going down that, learning more and more about the Paleo or natural human diet, I decided to give it a try and jumped into it and just within a few days, I already noticed just by cutting the grains, the distention–distention of my gut was gone.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Huge.
Jamie Caporosso: That made a huge difference to me. And I was like, “Wow, you know, look at that!” And after just a few short weeks, some of the inflammatory things that were starting to come around for me and I was about 36 at that time–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Uh-hmm.
Jamie Caporosso: You know, some arthritis in my hands and just you know, a nap-taking fool at that point probably from the–probably from the huge, you know, sugar rushes and insulin, you know, dumps. That started subsiding, started feeling better, and I had also had asthma since I was maybe 9 or 10 years old. And one day on my treadmill in the morning, I noticed that I hadn’t had an asthma attack in a long time and I decided to give myself one or try to so I just ramped that thing up and stood out for as–you know, ran on as fast and as long as I could–and remind you powerlifter–so running wasn’t really my thing and–and I couldn’t get that asthma attack, that tight lung feeling anymore and I was–that was pretty much the day I decided I was hooked.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Wow.
Jamie Caporosso: You know, not to mention that I had blood work done at that time, too, and–and my doctor literally said to me. He said, “I don’t know what you’re doing but I’ve never seen blood work turn around this fast even with medication.”
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: And I know–I know you’re one of these guys where you’re actually very–you’re very sensitive to dairy, I think you even mentioned that you’re–
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Sensitive to even grass-fed butter. You kinda get that little bit of bloat, is that correct?
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah, yeah. So yeah, I–I start learning more, you know, I stumbled Phinney’s books–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yeah.
Jamie Caporosso: I started looking for that performance edge, right? Because now I’m–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: I just wanna reiterate for our listeners that’s–that’s Dr. Steven Phinney. He’s written some books on kind of the–the low carbohydrate diet action. I think he’s over at the University of Vermont Medical School, too.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah, I–I think that’s where he is. Yes, Steven Phinney and Dr. Volek, Peter Volek. Great books. So I–I stumbled across these things in an effort for a little added advantage being, you know, getting in my 40s being a drug-free lifter.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yeah.
Jamie Caporosso: Started to look for every advantage I could get and I decided to try it for a 12-week cycle because in the book, he says you need 4-6 weeks to get adapted, and then I figured, “Well, then I got 6 weeks of training with it.”
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Right.
Jamie Caporosso: We got invited to compete at WPC World’s that year that happened to be in Vegas, so me and my partner decided to go on this ketogenic pathway while not giving up what we learned about Paleo, you know, being some of the dairy things and some–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yeah.
Jamie Caporosso: Some of the other legume things and stuff like that with the anti-nutrients. So we went down this pathway and we–we both had the best meets of our career at World’s that year.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Wow.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah. Now, here, you know, here’s the thing. I’m–I’m not a new lifter. I’m not a guy who was in a honeymoon period getting stronger. I’m a guy who has been fighting and scratching and clawing for 5 pounds on my total for a while now and the only real thing that I changed was that, you know, this diet. It’s not like I changed my training period time at all. It’s–it’s this diet that I completely, you know, morphed over from a keto-paleo thing. My recovery was insane. My energy levels were insane comparatively. I couldn’t–I couldn’t say enough good things about it to be honest with you.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: So base thing for you is you’re keeping your carbs down really low. How many carbs do you think you were having per day, you think?
Jamie Caporosso: You know what? In the beginning I was sticking with there 5 to 50, but near the end I really think it was around 10 to 15 a day and it was all via green vegetables.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Got it. And then what were your lifts like? Because I do see some CrossFit people that come in my clinic that–that do go really, really low carb and actually adding some carbs in actually improves or helps them. They just feel better, less hair loss, better temperature, better mood, better energy. So with your–well, you’re doing a lot of powerlifting stuff, are you doing like any WODs where you’re doing like meta–Met Con stuff or really long, long movements or are you doing more like 2-3 to 4 or 5 reps? What’s your workout like?
Jamie Caporosso: Well, I, at that time, I was doing both.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Wow.
Jamie Caporosso: I was CrossFitting 2 or 3 days a week and I felt that was keeping me in better shape.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yeah.
Jamie Caporosso: Then I was doing my 4 days of heavy lifts with–with the powerlifting. I’d have a deadlift day, a squat day, and two–two really heavy bench days in there. But I was doing the CrossFit with it, and actually in all our infinite wisdom we decided to run a 5K, too. Remind you, not runners.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yeah, I remember you told me this. Yeah.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah, this–this was the most interesting thing I ran. I ran a 5K on a Sunday in Bay City and it was absolutely freezing. It was St. Patty’s Day. Sometimes we get lucky, St. Patty’s Day is nice, sometimes we get the–we get the shaft.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Right.
Jamie Caporosso: In Michigan here, so–and it was one of the cold days and I PR’d on my running. I had only run at once or twice before.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Uh-hmm.
Jamie Caporosso: And then 2 days later, I had a deadlift workout where I PR’d–it was more of a volume day. I had pulled–previously maybe pulled 405 for 5 maybe 6 reps, and that day just out of nowhere I pulled 405 for 10. Again, not huge numbers but you know, I’m a–a drug-free powerlifter 220 weight class and–but I would have thought I still would have been smashed from that running that 5K.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Wow. So why do you think some people because I have my theories–why do you think, for the like the type of movements that you’re doing with the CrossFit and then combining it with the power training–why do you think some people do a little bit better with you know some more carbs and I mean carbs 50 to 100, maybe a little over a hundred? And why do you think you’re doing better with that super, super low keto-paleo diet with what you’re doing?
Jamie Caporosso: I have–I have a couple theories on that–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Uh-hmm.
Jamie Caporosso: And I don’t have any case studies to back anything up yet. One, I do think there is a difference between incorporating dairy with keto–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Uh-hmm.
Jamie Caporosso: And not. I think some people are uber sensitive to dairy and maybe causes some inflammatory responses that they may or may not be noticing. This–this last time around, I’m very lean in this, well, I’m doing this right now, and I notice that if I have a non-Paleo cheat, like I have a bunch of heavy whipping cream and some cheeses and stuff, I will get a like a layer over the top of me like a bloat.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: You mentioned that.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah, that–that I notice because–and I don’t think anybody else would notice that if it wasn’t for the fact that, you know, I was so learn right now. The other thing I notice is that in my Met Con training, I’m winded quicker. It’s also almost like my asthma comes back–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Interesting.
Jamie Caporosso: A little bit, creeping in. Now that’s just a theory and another thing that I think because I think that a lot of people forget to–before a heavy workout up their sodium, like a cup of broth or something like that.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yeah, the electrolytes, the minerals and such.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah, yeah. You know and then–and the drop of blood pressure where there used to having a little extra pressure there for not having the sodium, I think that’s a big one. Because if I have heavy training day and I forget my cup of broth, it’s like I got nothing to push against.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yeah, and I really appreciate what you’re doing, because like in the low carb world, there’s like, you can be low carb and then you can be low carb Paleo. And Paleo really is, just for all the listeners at home, it’s just adding a filter over–kinda like taking, you know, you have regular glasses then you put the little sunglasses on top of it that flipped down like you did in 80s, and that flip for Paleo really is it’s making sure the macronutrients have quality to them. Ideally organic, if we’re eating meat like beef, it’s grass-fed. If we’re eating eggs, it’s pasture-fed, or avoiding the artificial sweeteners. If you’re doing butter, it’s grass-fed butter. Most people consider Paleo no dairy at all, so then that’s kinda your side of it, too.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah. Yeah.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: And you know, no soy protein. So some people on the low carb world, they’ll do some soy protein, they’ll do some aspartame. They may even do some sugar-free desserts and stuff with the–with the Splenda in there and such but you’re really adding the element of quality. Your macronutrients are high quality. No chemicals, organic. Is that correct, Jamie?
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah, as–as much as possible. Where we live, I live kind of a rural area right in between Detroit and Lansing. You know, I can get my grass-fed beef from a friend of mine whose dad who raises, you know, cows. There’s a farm up the road where we can get our eggs, like I get duck eggs and chicken eggs, and that’s another thing I notice. Big time difference is cheap source of protein is traditionally eggs. Right?
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Right.
Jamie Caporosso: So at least a ton of eggs, like just standard grocery store eggs and then it wasn’t until I started them off the farm up the road where–I mean, the chickens are literally like you said out in pasture, you see where they’re coming from.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Oh, yeah.
Jamie Caporosso: And that over a couple of weeks, I noticed a huge difference in just my overall well-being.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: So just for the listeners at home, Jaime, the quality of the macronutrients, not just being low carb but the quality of those macronutrients is incredibly important.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah, it can be. It can be. I mean, I call that my–the fifty shades of Paleo. How far do you wanna take this, you know? In the beginning I was pretty successful just with standard grocery store stuff. It wasn’t until I kept looking for that extra, that little extra every time I turn the corner.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Well, it makes sense, too. Because you get guys like Joel Salatin who own Polyface Farms. He was in the documentary, Food Inc.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: He’s been on record saying that his pasture-fed eggs have 20 times more folate than the regular store eggs. So we know, man, you know, we pay double the price but you get 20 times more and that’s–that’s pretty–pretty impressive for a–for a food product.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah, it–it really is. I mean, some people say this–this stuff’s expensive and then you see them with a $5 Starbucks in their hand and you’re like, “Well, I think it just all depends on your priorities, doesn’t it?”
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yeah, it really depends on your priorities. I mean, people have $130 phone bill. They spend $5 at Starbucks a day and I always tell my patients it’s really about getting your priorities in alignment and if you eat healthy, I mean, yeah, I mean eggs are good, maybe a dozen eggs may cost $4 or $5 bucks but I mean, the average person it’s 3 eggs per meal, you know.
Jamie Caporosso: Uh-hmm.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: That’s like a buck per meal, a buck fifty a meal. I mean, where can you go out and get a buck fifty for a really high quality meal? You can’t.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah, you can’t. There’s–it’s funny that I think Jimmy has at one of his podcasts, he said, “So if you bought a dozen of these $4 eggs, you know, and you add 3 for breakfast, 3 for lunch, and 3 for dinner, how–how could you possibly eat that cheap?”
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yeah, how could you possibly with the quality? I mean, even if you went, like the only way you can eat that eat–eat that cheap is if you went to like the Dollar Menu, like Wendy’s or like McDonald’s. That’s it. It’s the only way you could do it, but you know that’s just the worst quality stuff–
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: You can ever put in your body.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah, agreed. Agreed.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Well, can you walk the listeners through kinda what’s like–what’s it like a day in your life? You get up, what do you eat, when do you eat, what’s your day like?
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah. I get up, if I’m coaching in the morning, I’ll get up around 4:55, so an early start on that day.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Ooh, man!
Jamie Caporosso: Well, my first class is at 5:30.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: And I’m on your site, I saw like, “Eek,” cringing at that time.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah. My–my first class is at 5:30 so I’ll get up and I’ll–I will– I’ll do that. I’ll make 2 or 3 eggs and I usually coco them–cook them in some type of coconut oil and then maybe 3 or 4, you know, asparagus spears with that. You know, water is usually what I drink, sometimes some of the–some of the flavored teas with a little bit of lemon in it. I’ve just acquired that taste over time. And again–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Got it.
Jamie Caporosso: That’s kicking in. Kicks fighting, clock kicking and clawing, too, because I was a chronic Diet Coke addict to be honest.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Got it.
Jamie Caporosso: Then you know, I go about my day and I’m usually not too hungry. You know, being ketoadapted, you know, the lower leptin levels–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yup.
Jamie Caporosso: Which you know about. So I–once you get through that ketoadaption phase, usually don’t get that hungry. Lunch time that could be all over the place. I do outside sales for a living. So it could be, you know, a small steak and like a–a salad, you know. A lot of times I’ll ask for oil and pepper to put on the salad.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Uh-hmm.
Jamie Caporosso: Just, you know, just for something on it and up my fat. And a lot of times if I’m on my own and it’s on my dime, a lot of times I’ll get stop at like a bar, burger bar or something like that, and I’ll get the burgers without the bun. Again ask for the oil and dressing and stuff like that, instead of fries, maybe get a side salad. Again, not perfect Paleo, organic and what not, but when you’re on the road and in a pinch, sometimes that’s the best way to go. Those Mongolian barbecues are great for that, too, because you can drench the stuff in olive oil, you know, like a small plate of meat and vegetables if you’re a Paleo guy.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Absolutely.
Jamie Caporosso: That’s a great resource for when you’re on the road.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Absolutely.
Jamie Caporosso: Believe it or not, sometimes those little Chinese buffets have a Hibachi grill on the back where you can have someone make you a bowl of meat and vegetables right on the spot.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Absolutely.
Jamie Caporosso: Like I said, being on the road I–I’ve found all the little ins and outs there. And then, you know, there’s–there’s a lot of breakfast places where you can get some eggs and bacon, almost 20–you know, all day long. But that’s how I survived being on the road and then when I get back home, it’s–it’s pretty much the same thing because whenever I feel like eating, sometimes I’ll have baked salmon, you know, and I’ll pour olive oil over top of it, always trying to keep my fat ratio higher through the–the ketogenic aspect.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yup, right.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: And how long do you typically go between meals on average?
Jamie Caporosso: You know, it really depends. Sometimes some days I have to remind myself to eat. Usually it can be anywhere from 3-4 hours to sometimes 2. I don’t know. It’s–it’s all over the place. It’s one of those when do I have a window to eat? In the beginning when I first went through this, like my first 12-week cycle, I tried with the old mentality of eating, you know, at least 5 times a day. You know, I think that comes programming from the old muscle and fiction world where they had that meal cadence in there, 4 and 5, maybe even 6 times day. But once you know, once you get ketoadapted, you have a higher blood level amino acids anyway–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Uh-hmm.
Jamie Caporosso: So I don’t think that part is as necessary.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: And is that higher blood level of amino acids just coming from the–the extra gluconeogenesis that’s happening–your body is trying to circulate those aminos and convert them to glucose for energy?
Jamie Caporosso: I–I would say so. You know, I’d have to re-read that physiology section in Phinney’s book–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Uh-hmm.
Jamie Caporosso: To–to quote that exactly. But I remember that sticking out because that was a big question in my head being an–an athlete. You know, they had us–remember coming from that powerlifting bodybuilding world, they wanted you to eat, you know, a gram and a half to 2 grams of protein per body weight. So, you know, I have friends over 200 pounds trying to choke down 400 grams of protein a day.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Wow.
Jamie Caporosso: You know. I had–I had a low carb, low fat, you know, and it was a full-time job trying to get that much protein in them.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: And it’s interesting because, you know, you look at the standard American diet but if you look at any bodybuilder, right?
Jamie Caporosso: Uh-hmm.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Any bodybuilder will tell you, this is, you know, back in the days of Arnold in the 70s that you gotta–you gotta keep the carbs down if you really wanna lose weight. And it’s amazing how the bodybuilders have had it right for so long. Can you kinda talk about that–that kinda bodybuilding power–power background and how they’ve always had it right, but we, you know, we as the American people kinda headed backwards?
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah, it’s a–I think it really has to do with, you know, follow the money kinda thing.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yup.
Jamie Caporosso: You know, our food pyramid was at 6-11 servings of grain a day, at the bottom of the food pyramid and when you tried to plug that into the formula where you had–you could go say you go see your doctor, you’re a little overweight and he says, “I need you to lose some weight,” and then you know, he’s programmed by this food pyramid so he’s thinking, “Well, you gotta move more and eat less.” But you don’t change that–that food pyramid at all. So now you’re still getting a high carb diet that’s–you know, you’re body is reacting by dumping insulin even though your calories are lower. Dumping insulin not letting your body utilize the fat stores, so this goes on for a little bit, you’re trying to move more, working up an appetite. We’ve all heard that phrase before.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Oh, yeah.
Jamie Caporosso: And you cut calories, but you’ve also kept your insulin levels high because you have a high carb diet, maybe you switched from a bowl of Captain Crunch to oatmeal, and not knowing that’s it’s not any different, keeping those insulin levels elevated, and all of a sudden your body has nothing to do because–nothing to do but lower its metabolism because you’re starving at a cellular level now, you know, and then I think it’s just a bigger–the bigger problem with it. You know, it’s that–that old programming and not looking at some of the biology behind this.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Absolutely. And I know that you–well, we were on a low carb cruise just 2 weeks ago and you gave a really good talk on all these aspects and you talked about the keto and the Paleo and you talked about some of these things. Is there one aspect of your talk, because you spoke–you lectured for over an hour when we shared the stage–
Jamie Caporosso: Uh-huh.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Is there one aspect to that talk that you wanna share with the listeners right now that kinda was like really important that maybe we haven’t touched upon yet?
Jamie Caporosso: You know, I–I–running this gym I see it is a little different than some of the, you know, the people in the clinic, you know, clinical areas. I get to see my clients or patients, or whatever you wanna say, in 4 and 5 times a week and I think helping them with the day-to-day battle is the–is the hardest part and that–that story I told about how “Jamie, what do I when I get that social pressure?” People love in this country to see as much as I hate to say it, they love to tune in and see–see failure. American Idol, they like to vote–you know, tune in week after week and see–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yeah.
Jamie Caporosso: Who falls. So when you go into that break room at work and it’s someone’s birthday again. Okay, and you start feeling those social pressures of “Come on, you can do this!” or “Just a little piece won’t hurt you.” You know, my most popular phrase that I tell all my clients is I said, tell them, “Look, I have some goals right now and those goals don’t involve–” fill in the blank, you know,” It’s usually cake and ice cream, let’s say. And it’s usually .99 cent ice cream from the grocery store and some cheap cake. You say, “I have some goals right now and those goals don’t involve that cheap ice cream and that cheap cake. I’ll have it again. I’ve had it before. I just have these goals right now and I have to–I have to get there for my health.”
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yeah, I think it’s really easy for people to lose sight of the–the long-term goal for the short-term gratification. I think we’re really, you know, culture just, you know, we need that short-term gratification and it can be tough and it’s–
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: It’s always easier if the person is gonna eat the cupcake or the cake next to you. It’s always easier to kinda have you come along for the ride, because it kinda–
Jamie Caporosso: Exactly.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: It justifies it, right?
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah, it–it’s tough out there. It’s a tough battle day-to-day. You know, I see them for an hour in the gym. That’s cool. I can give everyone a great workout. That 23 hours outside of there is the bigger battle.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: So you would environment is very strong and I know I touched upon this.
Jamie Caporosso: Yup.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Environment is stronger than willpower. You need a really good environment and we can control our home.
Jamie Caporosso: Uh-hmm.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: We can control, for the most part, the friends we hang out with but a lot of times we may not be able to control the work environment as much.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah, work environment or the shopping environment. Look at every cash register in this country. It’s got candy and pop at it.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yeah. And one of the things that I’ve used to because I get what you said and I agree that’s–it takes a strong person to–to say that.
Jamie Caporosso: Uh-hmm.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: I think the easier way to say it is just say you have an allergy, too. That’s a really easy–
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: An easy thing because then people just leave you alone. They’re like, “Oh well, it’s not about him being better than me.” He’s–he can’t have it, from a medical–
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Perspective.
Jamie Caporosso: I’ve done that before. I’ve also told the waitress that I was diabetic, I need to know what’s in this.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yes, and I find going into a restaurant though that is the best, because they–no–no restaurant wants someone having an anaphylactic shock and–and choke in front of the restaurant. That’s not good for business. So anytime you go to a restaurant, don’t say, “I have a sensitivity to gluten because that–even though for 90% of people, it just kinda–it may sound pretentious to the wait staff, and they may be like, “Oh well, whatever.” I always say, “I have an allergy. I have a severe allergy. So please make sure there are no flours in the sauces and there are no glutens and make sure the chef, you know, switches whatever mitts or–or flippers if they’re cooking a steak or tongs, if they’re flipping a steak, and really give it that extra attention.” That’s a good little tip that’s worked for me in the past.
Jamie Caporosso: Perfect. I’ll use that. Thanks, Justin.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yeah. So is there anything else from that cruise, from your lecture on the cruise that you wanna touch upon? You mentioned so much.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah, there–there’s a lot of information on there. I think in a nutshell, we got it–I think we got it all covered.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: So right now, if someone is like starting to go low carb, the keto, their improving the quality of their macronutrients–macros meaning proteins, fats, and carbs or eating better steaks or better veg–organic veggies or having better quality fats, coconut oil, beef tallow, etc., what are some movements that people can start incorporating into their workouts? Because I know you do own a CrossFit gym, so what would you recommend as a starting point to kinda get into the keto but also get into the CrossFit style of movements?
Jamie Caporosso: Well, that’s–you know, that–that’s always, there’s–you know, there’s a lot of online resources. There’s a–there’s a lot of good CrossFit gyms out there. Do your research–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Right, right.
Jamie Caporosso: You know, ask around. Some of the movements I like, you know, being powerlifter, I love, you know, you know, full back squats, stuff like that. If I was new to them, I would just–you know, it depends at what level of fitness you’re at. It can just be as simple as air squats to get–to get some blood moving through those bigger, deeper muscles. You know, you can do simple stuff at home. They can be air squats, push-ups, and burpees right at home, you know. If you have the means, look around, find a good CrossFit gym or find a good trainer, you know. It’s–it’s one of those things. You gotta ask around. It’s a word of mouth kinda thing it’s like on. And you know, different gyms have better quality coaches in them, too. It’s like going to the barbershop and ask and, you know, the barbershop itself isn’t good but the barbers themselves are. You gotta do a little work.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Very good, and my main beef with a lot of CrossFit gyms is the on ramps or the foundation programs that kinda differ from gym to gym. Some CrossFits don’t even have like a foundation or an elements or kind of a ramp up, they–they–each gym calls it different.
Jamie Caporosso: Yup.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: What’s your take on the ramp up type of program and what do you have at your gym?
Jamie Caporosso: We–ours–we have a ramp up or a foundations class we call it to, and that we don’t have set in stone. We have, it’s always depending on the athletic ability of the individual. Sometimes I’ll have a foundations class where we can knock it out pretty up. Some may say I have a high school athlete that comes in and has a lot of athletic ability and catches on real quick. But if I have member who comes in and then they just need some extra work and a lot of extra help, we’ll go forward on 6 foundations classes ‘til they feel real comfortable and I’m comfortable they’re not gonna get hurt.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Got it, and where do you think the biggest mistakes happen at CrossFit gyms where people get hurt? How does that happen?
Jamie Caporosso: Well, at trying to win. You know, it–it’s done in a little bit of a competitive environment and people will forego their form–
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yup.
Jamie Caporosso: To beat–to beat the guy next to him. But in that–in that same token though, I think that’s on the coach. What you’re paying for is group personal training and–and, you know, in our CrossFit gym we’re constantly walking around that group, scanning that group, and we–we’re–we’ll stop someone work out. “Look, you gotta stop. You’re bending your back over. We–we gotta straighten you back up. This is just a workout. This isn’t–there’s no money involved here. We gotta clean up your form because hurt is gonna be no good.” And we limit our class sizes, too. If it’s too much for one person to keep an eye on, you know, we cap the class.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: That makes sense. So really making sure there are quality in your reps.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: And really making sure you’re, you know, keeping the form dialed in so you don’t get hurt first off.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah. Fortunately, for me, it’s–you know, I–I have a day job. It’s not about the money. I’m not trying to jam everyone in my classes. I’m trying to provide a good environment and keep everyone happy and healthy.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: That’s great, Jamie.
Jamie Caporosso: Yeah.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: So I’m gonna end the call here with 2 questions that I ask all my listeners–
Jamie Caporosso: Okay.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: If you were stuck on a desert island, Jamie. What herb or supplement would you want with you?
Jamie Caporosso: Oh, man. What herb or supplement would I want with me? Well, I don’t know. I would probably–I would probably resort to not an herb or a supplement but would want some type of fat.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: There you go. There you go. So like what would you choose? Coconut oil or like bacon fat? What kind of fat here?
Jamie Caporosso: Probably an animal source fat. A nice clean animal source fat and bacon fat would be–would be right up there.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Oh, wow! Okay, so you’re the only person that’s answered bacon fat. I love it! Okay, that’s cool.
Jamie Caporosso: Pemmican, you know, gonna get someone to whip me up some pemmican.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Yeah, absolutely. And what 3 suggestions would you give to your clients or anyone asking, just to kick more butt?
Jamie Caporosso: You know, do–do what you have to to stay motivated. Some people like to watch YouTube videos in front of going to a workout. Some people like to get their pump up tunes on. You know, it–it’s–it can be a constant battle. So look for things that motivate you. Maybe bring a partner or a friend. You know, that–just those–those things right there will help–help really–keep you motivated.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Alright so you gave me one there. You got me–you gotta give me 2 more now.
Jamie Caporosso: Hmm. I–I cannot tell you. That’s–that’s one of my big ones. I’m sorry, Justin.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Okay, alright. That’s fine, alright. So we got one big one there. Okay, got it. And Jamie, your website’s paleoforpower.com?
Jamie Caporosso: Yup, and–and look for soon. I’m working on keto-paleo.com. I’m trying to pool all my resources together, keto-paleo. It should be out here pretty soon.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: That’s great. And is there any other resources that our listeners can–can come to find you at?
Jamie Caporosso: Nope. Paleoforpower.com. I’m on–well, I’m on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: And if they’re in the Michigan area, the Howell, MI area, they–I think that’s between Ann Arbor and Lansing? Is that correct?
Jamie Caporosso: Well, yeah. Ann Arbor – Lansing, that’s–that would be a good 2 miles or 2 biggest points.
Dr. Justin Marchegiani: Got it. So if you’re out in that Michigan area, feel free and reach out to Jamie at paleoforpower.com and he’ll be a good resource for you. Jamie, it was so great having you on the show. We appreciate you coming on.
Jamie Caporosso: Thank you very much, Justin.
References:
Jamies http://www.paleoforpower.com/
Dr. Steve Phinney – Art and Science of Low Carb
The low carb cruise – http://www.lowcarbcruiseinfo.com
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In this episode, we review:
9:53 Some people who are going low carb and not doing well with exercise may need to increase their carb intake.
11:55 How is low carb ketogenic diet different than a paleo ketogenic diet.
22:33 On social pressure and what to say to people
26:34 Recommended CrossFit style of movements
28:50 How CrossFit can hurt some people.