Standing on the shoulders of giants is what I do at Nourish Balance Thrive, and none more giant (figuratively!) than strength and conditioning coach, author and speaker Jason Seib. I’ve been listening to Jason and Sarah Fragoso’s Everyday Paleo podcast (now renamed JASSAFIT) since my earliest days eating a paleo diet, and I still find their wisdom and practical advice helpful both personally and professionally. If you head over to his website and sign up for Jason’s list, he’ll send you the instructions I’ve been using in my practice called The Fat Loss Directive.

Like all good solutions, the new AltShift diet scratches a personal itch. Jason’s wife Sheryl was unable to shake off the baby fat despite eating a nutrient dense paleo diet and so Jason recommended, as always, more walking and strength training. These changes yielded some good results: greater muscle mass and strength, but unremarkable changes in Sheryl's appearance. Jason then suggested the next most logical thing: reducing carbohydrates. This change worked for a while, and then it didn't, and so they kept tweaking. They checked Sheryl was eating enough food and getting enough sleep (she was). Despite small victories, Sheryl was still stuck. The questions and answers that arose from the experimentation process would eventually lead to what I would describe as a cyclical ketogenic diet that enabled Sheryl to lose five inches in her waist in just six weeks (pictured on the right).

Sheryl is not alone, and at the time of writing the AltShift Facebook group has a happy 3,929 members.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Jason Seib:

• [0:01] Christopher’s introduction of Jason Seib, coach, podcaster, author.
• [1:30] How Jason’s experience as a personal trainer makes his work more credible.
• [2:46] What is the AltShift diet Jason has developed and why did he create it?
• [8:15] Why the “per day” mindset of diet planning isn’t the wisest.
• [11:43] The kinds of things Jason tracks with his test groups.
• [15:18] “New Bike Syndrome” and how it relates to weight loss diets.
• [20:21] Is the AltShift diet plan for everyone?
• [34:14] What do the terms “5 shift” and “3 shift” mean in Jason’s plan?
• [42:10] The difficult points in Jason’s plan for most people, and how they get past it.
• [47:40] Why most people need 2 to 3 passes through the AltShift cycle to begin getting it.
• [50:10] The tensions between scientific studies and daily practices.
• [56:27] Where Jason agrees with Vinnie Tortorich.
• [58:01] How the vast majority of people don’t even know this diet approach exists.
• [1:00:40] Other things Jason is working on.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Jason’s website and podcast

The Fat Loss Directive (subscribe to receive your copy)

The AltShift Diet

BOOK: Brain Rules

The AltShift Diet Facebook Community

@JasonSeib on Periscope

PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Vinnie Tortorich

John Medina

Jimmy Moore

Tommy Wood

Chris Kresser

Dominic D’Agostino

Jillian Michaels

Sarah Fragoso