Deadlifts:
3x8
185/195/215
Dead Stop. Straps. No Dropping

Finisher:
3x10 Banded DB Floor Press
35#DBs w/40lb Resistance Band
Followed by 2 Max sets of push-ups.

Read both articles posted and first and foremost, posting one article and then follow it with one that challenges it is a great exercise in taking the information given and developing your own take on it. I'm slowly but surely starting to grasp the concept of effects of insulin intake, metabolic pathways, glycogen break down, checking the rotaries on the gerters, etc...reading Dr. Fung's first article made sense. Calories are calories and it's more about what your body does with it. Me, an almost 40 year old man will likely store or use food differently than my 6 year old daughter. Right? Norton mentions how Fung "conflates TDEE, BMR" but fails to mention Physical Activity. That seems like a pretty important piece to leave out, right? Honestly, all of that started to muddy the waters for me a bit. If I had to summarize it for myself I'd probably say this. "Calories matter. Insulin matters. Activity matters. So I should probably eat meats and vegetables, nuts and seeds, little fruit, some starch, no sugar........keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports." Does that sound about right? Looking forward to more of these.  

A couple thoughts on the articles from a non-expert:
Fung is really fast and loose with his language; not very precise for one who purports to be an expert. That said, I’ve long heard of insulin responses and glycemic indexes as being important in diet and weight management.
 
Norton rightly calls out Fung’s carelessness, but seems to at least partially advocate for a calorie-based approach to diet, which is contra to Coach’s approach and most other approaches to diet I’ve seen over the past few years. I used to take the physics approach of a calorie as a unit of heat, and ergo a cal=a cal. But I now see that a 100 cals of broccoli does not equal 100 cals of ice cream. 

I’d love to get Dr Lustig’s views on all of this…also popular in CF circles, and very well grounded in nutritional science. 

My bottom line, though, is that I’m disappointed at how little we seem to know about diet. This kind of debate seems like something that should have been settled about 30 years ago. 

Austin, spencer, James…. Sweetheart people. 

but

Take programming back to pre HAM plan. 2013-2018 main site was a beacon. Now mainsite isn’t even on the radar for worthwhile programming. 

I let my level 3 expire and didn’t affiliate because of the change to the HAM plan. Mainsite wasn’t broken, why change it. 

I would recommend having Dave do a month… then Rich, then Annie T, then Ben B, then Mikko, then Jason K… etc 

Dont let boz in the room either. Again… amazing human

Some people have it… some don’t or don’t just yet 

The vast difference in Insulin-response between processed carbohydrates and fruit is striking! 

Made up Hng sqt snatch--results there.
Both articles were interesting to read---I understand Layne's sort of "nitpicking" aspect of what a calorie is and how they talk about 100 calories of a cookie vs 100 calories of kale...Layne points out that a calorie is just a unit of measure, but would he also agree that the point Fung was making was how our body processes those foods???
What I'd like to know or have these 2 people talk about how the chemicals in our food have changed over the last 30/40 years.
Monsanto is the devil.
Is the chemical make up of our food drastically different from 30 yrs ago?  If so, how do those chemicals effect our hormones???
I have more questions than I do answers:)

Best day programmed by Castro so far

Best day programmed by Castro so far

In my estimation, nobody wins this argument as both sides make porous claims that they cannot substantiate.

I am a 60 year old who's living with diabetes (I have been for almost twelve years), but thankfully, found CrossFit the same year I was diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with hyperglycemia. CrossFit in a very real sense saved my life, and for much of the time I've lived with diabetes, I've managed it with diet and exercise. Dr Fung's book helped me tremendously in making adjustments to my diet beyond simply focusing on calories. However, I'm not a doctor and can't interpret all the charts he shows in his book, much the same way that I can't interpret all the dials in the cockpit of the airplanes I fly on, but this doesn't mean that I stop flying in airplanes.

I have personally found some tremendous help from Dr Fung's material, in spite of the 'gimmicky' approach to promoting certain products as described by the counter argument. 

Layne Norton's counter argument is also no scientific treatise, and when he makes the following claim, I'm inclined to believe him less:

"Dr. Fung ignoring the calls to defend his claims would not bother me so much if he did not also try to get people fired from their jobs who disagree with him. There are several people who I have spoken with who Dr. Fung attempted to get fired from their jobs or get them kicked out of grad school, but these folks wish to remain anonymous."

I don't like defenses that make certain claims but can't back them up. Why use the idea that he's tried to get people fired from their jobs as a strong basis for argument, yet tell us that "several people" you spoke to "wish to remain anonymous"? It doesn't lend veracity to your argument as, that would be like me saying, "Many girls have accused you of sexual harassment, but they want to remain anonymous." That's sullying your name with innuendo and not providing any proof.

At the end of the day, spurious arguments and counter claims, don't serve anybody well. Real life experiences do. Thanks Dave Castro, for introducing this thought provoking, ongoing debate, to the forefront of our minds. I'm grateful for CrossFit, you, and the ability to live a healthier life based on diet and exercise!

Nice👌🏼

It is never that simple. It is always a combination, like training.

I'm just happy to see two contradictory points of view laid out together. 

There has been plenty of content from Dr. Fung and others with similar views as him on CrossFit's platforms over the years, so I am very proud to see Layne Norton's alternate (and very well cited) take on these subjects posted to mainsite.

I personally tend to side with Layne on the subject, I believe that weight loss and gain are complicated and there is not a singular answer of "Insulin" to the entire puzzle.

Now let's get to Friday and see what Castro has got in store!!!

I am not qualified to speak to the scientific validity of either article but at age 51 I am able to maintain 8% body fat and far above average muscle mass by severely restricting my carbohydrate intake (not keto though) and eating quality protein and fats at will.  I consume as many or more calories this way than when I followed a "Macros" plan created for me by a nutritionist which favoured carbs over fat.  I no longer count calories and always eat to satiety.  This is only a sample of one.  But for me carbs, not calories make the difference and I have hard accurate data from body scans to back it up.  

Loved the first 3 WODs by Castro.  Looking forward to the guest programming experiment.     

One other thought about this programming:

I’m glad to have these guests programming, but I think they need more time. 

Dave said he would program the next 2 weeks, but I would really like 4-6 consecutive weeks from each guest. 

Other than that, I think this new may turn main site in a new direction and am very excited. 

Valid points by both. Certainly calories DO matter, and they are the currency we use. 

But, controlling insulin is vitally important and can make a world of difference in health, fitness, body shape, comorbidities and food cravings. 

This stuff all works together and is simple, yet complex. 

For 99% understanding of it, the simple version is just get off the couch and move (lift weights, do some longer pieces with a higher heart rate, do some longer pieces with a lower heart rate, do shorter pieces with a high heart rate, eat protein, get healthy fats, go ahead and have a dessert but limit it with moderation. Play sports, have some competition in your life (good hormones!), laugh (good hormones!), make others laugh, and do some service for others. Think critically, read other opinions, keep the brain working as you age. 

It isn’t as difficult as we make it out to be, and many of our problems would be solved by the above. 

Source: Me, a doctor.