John La Puma - Refuel: a 24-day eating plan to shed fat, boost testosterone, and pump up strength and stamina

Copyright 2013 by John La Puma, M.D.

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Harmony Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.
www.crownpublishing.com

Harmony Books is a registered trademark and the
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

La Puma, John.
Refuel : a 24-day eating plan to shed fat, boost testosterone, and pump up strength and stamina / John La Puma, M.D.First edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Reducing dietsRecipes. 2. MenHealth and hygienePopular works.
3. TestosteronePopular works. I. Title.
RM222.2.L3414 2013
613.25dc23
2012049788

ISBN 978-0-7704-3746-6
eBook ISBN 978-0-7704-3747-3

Cover design: Michael Nagin

Cover photography: Mickey Cashew / Getty Images

v3.1

To David, whose life choices and words showcase the best of the modern healthy man. And to those whove signed up for my newsletter and discovered more book bonuses, tips, and tools on www.drjohnlapuma.com: May you become healthier, happier, and even more awesome, and help others do the same.

PART ONE: THE HEALTH CRISIS
The Unique Challenges You Face

PART TWO: THE SOLUTION
Master Your Metabolism, Let Women In, and Rely on the Rules

PART THREE: THE PROGRAM
24 Days to Get Your Mojo Back

PART FOUR: GET REAL
The Simple Path to Enjoying the Food You Love

PART FIVE: FINAL THOUGHTS
Men Dont Diet. Men Refuel .

Brad is 59 years old and a successful software engineer. He is smart, quiet, accomplished, and very well respected. He has a great medical team ready to help with any health-related issue. He is 5 foot 7 inches and weighs 222 pounds.

Ten years ago he had prostate cancer, which was treated with hormonal therapy and radiation. Since then, hed gained 20 pounds on top of the 30 pounds hed previously accumulated as he embraced the lifestyle of a typical senior executive. With an extremely demanding work schedule and late nights, he was left with little time or energy to think about his own health and needs.

Recently his cardiologist had added a third cholesterol medicine. His trim, superfit wife worried that she would lose him, had begun to ask if he really needed that second glass of wine or the dessert at their favorite restaurant. He didnt, but it was habit, and he liked it.

He came to see me because his doctor told him he should, and because he had two goals. Id like to be in the top quartile for health for my age, he said. And Id like to avoid having to sing at the Christmas party. Hed made a bet with his best friend at work that he could lose 25 pounds by April 25. It was January 11.

Brad normally worked out with his trainer three mornings per week, and he ate cold cereal, eggs, juice, and toast for breakfast. At lunch, he had whatever was in the break roomusually pizza, and sometimes a salad. He worked late, except when there was an event, or he and his wife ate out (weekends and often during the week). When he was home, his wife made his favoritessteak, potatoes, chickenand served meals on some of their large, beautiful plates. He favored desserts soaked in Grand Marnier. He rarely cooked, except occasionally to grill. He awoke early, ahead of the alarm, and went to sleep late. He didnt smoke, and never had. He drank a bottle of good wine at home weekly, and above all else, he treasured the flavor of hearty food and the feel of hard work.

Dont give me food I cant eat, he said to me. Its got to taste great or I wont eat it. Brad squirmed in his chair as he talked. He was in pain, because his belly overhung his belt and his back was in spasm. He couldnt do a pushup, a burpee, a squat, or a lunge. He was a little short of breath.

Brad was like too many of my patients: overworked, chronically stressed, and not producing at optimal levels, and with the abnormal laboratory tests, back pain, and elastic-waist sweatpants to show for it. Too often, men like Brad have an outsized tolerance for ignoring high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol. That hellish trinity creates impotence and heart failure, metabolic syndrome and stroke, but no man thinks about that while hes inhaling a hamburger, or trying not to spill the cup-holder of fries in his lap while driving home from work.

Most men, like Brad, are not following an exercise or diet program that works. If theyre lucky enough to have a doctor who says, Lose some weight, they make an initial effort to diet, but they usually fall off the wagon before long. They end up holding a carton of ice cream in their lap at night, instead of their partner. No amount of goading from their doctor or their partner or helpful family member helps.

But theres a way out for the Brads of the world. Its as practical and as methodical as it sounds, and it works: take one step, and then another. The success of the plan is incremental, and even a little success will spike your confidence and motivation to take the next step. Plan on succeedingbecause other men have.

Brad began to do just that. He set small goals, every day, and did his best to achieve them. He didnt give up. And neither should you.

I didnt prescribe a diet for Brad, because diets have not worked for men (or for most women, for that matter). But I did give him the plan that I designed specifically for men. It is based on three strategic factors for men: their unique metabolism, mindset, and objectives.

Brad implemented a direct and tactical approach to achieving his health goals. His results: he became fit, lost weight, dropped several of his medications, and recovered his strength and stamina to the tune of routinely running 7.5-minute miles and pumping out 12 pullups afterward.

Brad is one of many men Ive treated over the last fifteen years who have come to me for help with weight and health management. Most of these guys walk into my Chef Clinic feeling frustrated and somewhat defeated, but they walk out with a sustainable, practical approach to their health, and a tangible strategy that gives them a renewed sense of confidence. Many of them feel as though a doctor is speaking with them directly for the first timethat theyre getting a program tailor-made for their needs. They are. And the good news is that their experience can now be yours.

In Refuel , I am making my plan available to the public for the first time. At www.drjohnlapuma.com, there are tools to test your testosterone, extra resources to boost it, and new ways to improve your skills and fitness naturally, plus man-to-man advice on food, fitness, cooking, and the plan itself. Ive approached Refuel with my doctors brain and my chefs taste buds; Ive studied the best available research with an eye for cutting-edge information; and Ive tested the plan on men who were interested in but not sold on it. Remarkably, theyve experienced successdropping their belly fat; lowering their blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose levels; rediscovering real erections; reviving sex drive; getting leaner and stronger; and like Brad, regaining control of their lives. Now Refuel is available to you. Its time for you to take back control.