Dr. Victor Prisk - The Leucine Factor Diet: The Scientifically-Proven Approach to Combat Sugar, Burn Fat and Build Muscle

Text copyright 2016 Victor Prisk. Design and concept copyright 2016 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the Internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Published in the U.S. by

ULYSSES PRESS

P.O. Box 3440

Berkeley, CA 94703

www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61243-537-4

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015944220

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Acquisitions Editor: Casie Vogel

Managing Editor: Claire Chun

Project Editor: Renee Rutledge

Editor: Susan Lang

Indexer: Sayre Van Young

Front cover design: Rob Handley

Interior design/layout: what!design @ whatweb.com

Cover photographs: front VladislavStarozhilov/ThinkstockPhotos.com; back Alex Jones

NOTE TO READERS: This book has been written and published strictly for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as medical advice or to be any form of medical treatment. You should always consult your physician before altering or changing any aspect of your medical treatment and/or undertaking a diet regimen, including the guidelines as described in this book. Do not stop or change any prescription medications without the guidance and advice of your physician. Any use of the information in this book is made on the readers good judgment after consulting with his or her physician and is the readers sole responsibility. This book is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition and is not a substitute for a physician.

This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands or other products mentioned within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in ingredient lists and elsewhere in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The authors and publishers encourage readers to patronize the quality brands mentioned and pictured in this book.

I dedicate this book to my friends, family, patients, and colleagues who inspire me to continue helping others and effect change in the world one goal at a time.

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Welcome to The Leucine Factor Diet! As an orthopedic surgeon with a history of competition in multiple sports and involvement in sports nutrition research, I wrote The Leucine Factor Diet to help athletes, performing artists, and everyday people organize their lives with goals and objective measures to overcome procrastination, maximize health, and improve longevity. G.A.I.N., an acronym I live by, explains how you can improve the mind-body connection while fueling both your mind and your body with essential nutrients, dietary supplementation, effective exercise, and medical awareness. G.A.I.N. is an acronym for:

G: Graded exerciseObjectively measure steady progress toward your physical goals.

A: AttitudeCultivate a positive mental attitude for motivation and recovery from hard work.

I: Integrated medicineIncorporate proven scientific principles and injury prevention.

N: NutritionAttain your performance goals with well-balanced meals and nutritional supplementation.

I wrote The Leucine Factor Diet to elaborate on the N in G.A.I.N. This book presents an in-depth view of my dietary and supplement recommendations based on health, physique, and performance goals. If your goal is to build muscle, get lean, or just maintain your health, the book will give you the tools you need to succeed.

We are all at risk for injury, disease, and disability. Despite all of our knowledge and experience, our nation is getting sickerthe rates of obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease are risingand there are more injuries in sport. Despite our desire to blame genetics and the world around us, our health is almost completely in our control. The majority of health issues and injuries are due to lifestyle choices. Whether you eat too much, smoke tobacco, drink alcohol, sit on your butt, or even exercise too much, you are in control of the consequences. Exercise too much? Yes, too much of a good thing can be bad.

This book isnt about low-carb dieting; its about understanding that your focus should be on the essential nutrients for your health and your goals. You must eat to live before you can live to eat. Eating healthy can be enjoyable, but it must include the essentials for good health. We know that there are essential fats and essential components of proteins called amino acids that we cant live without. However, sugars are not essential and can even be deadly to overconsume.

If your goal is to be a superhero with strength and vitality (not to mention a spandex-worthy body), sugar is the kryptonite that can make you weak. It leads to increased fats in the blood and around the belly. It causes inflammation in the blood vessels and throughout the body, leading to joint pain and weakness. It saps the mind and corrupts thoughts like a drug as science clearly shows that sugar is addictive.

Fortunately, nature has provided us with anti-kryptonite: leucine, a little-known component of protein that is the subject of this book. It turns out that leucine can combat the harmful effects of sugar and make muscles stronger. It improves metabolism and blood pressure. It helps us age with vitality and stronger bodies. Combined with other nutrients from the sun (Superman got his strength from our yellow sun), leucine has even greater power to keep you strong.

This book will help you focus on the essential nutrients in your meals. It will help you optimize the leucine content of those meals. Furthermore, it will teach you to create meal plans that fit your goals. Want to stay healthy, build muscle, get lean, or a combo of the three? The Leucine Factor Diet will help you in getting started, in building your plan, and in implementing it. With additional tools and pearls of wisdom, youll avoid distractions on the road to achieving your goal. It will give you methods to follow your progress, create tasty meals, and adjust to stress along the way. With extra attention to nutrient supplementation and timing, you will get the best results possible.

Enjoy reading this book. Leave comments in the margins on the content most relevant to your situation. Use stickers to flag sections of the book that youd like to revisit or share with others. If you have questions or just want to continue the leucine conversation, join me on social media @victorprisk on Twitter and Instagram. Follow my blog at LeucineFactor.com.

Understanding how nutrition affects your health, well-being, and leanness is a daunting task. It is so easy to be led in the wrong direction and to put yourself in a worse place than where you started. As an athlete and physician, I never thought that I could be misled about nutrition and lifestyle. Unfortunately, I was naive about the powers of persuasion and the misrepresentation of data.

As a gymnast, I became deeply interested in how nutrition could improve my performance. I frequented the local GNC store looking for protein and supplements to boost my athletic performance. I read magazines like Muscular Development and Muscle & Fitness for the information they presented on training, nutrition, and medicine. I watched the news, occasionally read articles in newspapers, and surfed the net in its early days.