By John I. Carney

Staff Writer

Fitness expert Mark Macdonald brought his message about "eating in threes" to control blood sugar, as well as staying in shape with regular exercise and activity, to various Middle Tennessee schools and fitness clubs this week, at the request of Lori Hengesbach, owner of The Gym in Chapel Hill.

Macdonald appears regularly on CNN and is a good friend of comedian and talk show host Chelsea Handler, who wrote the foreword to Macdonald's New York Times best-selling book "Body Confidence."

"I met Mark Macdonald three weeks before my 27th birthday," wrote Handler, "and he changed my life forever."

"She's one of my best friends," Macdonald told the Tribune.

At Forrest High School, MacDonald did separate presentations for high school and middle school students on Tuesday morning.

"How you choose to live every day is what your future is going to be," he told the students.

A former Division 1 soccer player, Macdonald gained 60 pounds in six months after leaving college and no longer having an athletic event to train for. He began a series of fad diets, and his weight went up and down before he read about blood sugar and formulated what he calls "eating in threes." He says it's healthiest to eat a series of small meals, every three hours or so, and that each meal should contain a combination of protein, fat and carbohydrates.

Macdonald noted that babies eat every three hours or so; they usually start when they're hungry and quit as soon as they're full. He said that should be the model for adults as well.

Carbohydrates eaten by themselves tend to spike blood sugar -- even an apple, rightfully considered a healthy snack, can do this. Macdonald suggested combining an apple with a piece of cheese to moderate the effect.

"I want to you eat everything you love," Macdonald told the middle school students. "I want you to understand it, though."

He said an occasional splurge meal won't wreck a healthy lifestyle, as long as it doesn't become the norm.

"Go for it," he said. "Just get back on track."

Sometimes, you can make room for a craving by cutting down on something else. When one student told Macdonald his favorite meal was a hamburger, Macdonald suggested that the hamburger bun stand for the carbohydrate in that meal and that the student skip the French fries.

Macdonald also stressed the importance of antioxidants to combat free radicals in the blood stream. He used the image of a cut apple slice turning brown as it oxidizes.

"You are rusting inside," he said, noting the power of antioxidant-rich foods to combat free radicals and prevent cell damage.

But diet alone is not sufficient to a healthy lifestyle, and Macdonald stressed the importance of exercise, using motivational language.

"Ninety percent of your success is showing up," he told the students, before leading them in a few minutes of spirited exercise, from push-ups to jumping up and down in place.

The title of Macdonald's book, "Body Confidence," is also the name of his fitness program.

"What that means to me is looking and feeling your very best," he said.

Macdonald said his adult presentations cover much of the same material but in more detail. He was scheduled to appear at gyms or fitness clubs in Columbia, Hendersonville, Murfreesboro and Smyrna, and appeared Tuesday night at the community center in Chapel Hill.

Macdonald's website is www.venicenutrition.com.