paxman said: Wanna watch the Lb's just drop off like crazy? Drop the carbs. Eat enough proteins and drop the carbs. Like almost all of them. You will be leaner and fitter in no time. Add in 10 minutes of exercise 3 times a week and you will become a new person (exercise needs to be single SLOW sets to absolute failure, and if you like 5 min sprint type exercise for cardio, also to failure). As for fats? Don't worry about them.
Pretty much, though we need some carbs too... we just need ***WAY*** less of them than is in the typical diet (in USA) anyway. Of course everyone's body is a bit different and reacts differently to certain foods and metabolisms vary. And, yea, regarding exercise that seems to be the most recent data that just a few minutes of more intense exercise every few days does more than running marathons. If you like running marathons (joint injury and such aside), that's great. But it won't get you optimal health.
actually no, none of the macro nutrients (protein, carbs, fat) make you fatter or leaner — your caloric intake does. you have a certain total daily enrergy expenditure (TDEE). if you take in more calories than you expend, you get fatter. this is a caloric surplus. if you take in less calories than you expend, you get leaner. this is a caloric deficit. either of these can be done with any macro nutrient. a professor demonstrated this by eating nothing but gas station food, twinkies, etc, but in a caloric surplus. naturally he lost weight.
this is not to say the macros have no differences. protein and carbs are 4 cals per gram, fat is 9. fat can make you feel fuller than say, high carb sodas. protein promotes fullness and has a higher thermal effect for breaking down. dietary fats are more readily converted to lipids and becoming body fat. protein is used for building and maintaining muscle tissue via protein synthesis. for changing body composition a high protein diet is key — carbs aren’t detrimental to this, and in fact are crucial for weight training as carbs are your source of glycogen, which is what your muscles use for energy and are needed in order to lift heavy. lifters eat high protein, high carb diets. this is how you build a strong, lean body. dieting alone produces a “skinny fat” look.
all three marcos have a purpose. as an active 200lb lifter i need about 450g of carbs in addition to my 200g of protein. fats about 70.
exercise is another story, but “lifting to failure” is a bro science myth. there are different goals.. to get strong, lift heavy reps at low reps (4-6) for a few sets. to promote hypertrophy lift lighter weight at higher reps (10-12). lifting to failure by itself is not special.
most people are interested in body recomposition and would benefit from a general strength training program. “Starting Strength” is a solid program. “StrongLifts 5x5” is a similar program with a great iPhone app and is a great place to begin.
Some of what you're saying is accurate, but I think some of it is outdated or actually in error. Your body fat is ultimately controlled by hormones, not calories. Eating fat isn't what makes you fat. In fact, you're going to gain more weight eating carbs than fat (as carb turn to sugars and the body likes to store them). But, yes, much of it has to do with the impact the various foods have on your eating habits... so yes, roughly, if you eat too much you gain weight, eat less, you lose. But, it's not nearly that simplistic... and if you don't eat the right things, most people don't have the will power to overcome their cravings.
The eat fat, get fat concept was actually based on a single study that has been debunked... yet it became pretty much doctrine of the medical and government food pyramids. Recent articles have highlighted how corruption from the sugar industry has impacted may related studies as well. And, the understanding of how the body works has advanced greatly in the last few years.
I am not sure you strictly need carbs at all. I eat virtually zero. There obviously are some in lettuce and avocado etc, so it's not zero, but there are no essential carbs. Protein is human fuel and we all need it. In fact studies apparently show that we are all the same wether eskimos, European or African - our bodies will continue to crave food until we have the right amount of protein, and we all need pretty much the exact same amount relative to how active or sedentary we are. So if we eat high carb low protein food we will continue to eat until we have the requisite amount of protein. And we will do the same with fat - keep eating until the protein level is right. By eating protein dense food you'll need a fraction to be satiated.
Yes, your body needs carbs and it’s impossible not to eat some anyway. Same with fat. And if you want to get strong by lifting heavy things, then you need more carbs for the increased glycogen store.
Youre correct that ta high protein protein diet is key. But it’s the high-protien that is important, not the low-carb — if you’re in a caloric deficit, that is. And that’s where exercise comes in to increase your TDEE. Again this is why strong, fit people eat both high protein and high carbs. There’s nothing to fear from carbs if you’re not eating in a caloric surplus. It’s just math. If you want to lose weight, take in fewer calories than you expend.
"There's nothing to fear from carbs..." That depends on what kind of carbs you're talking about: Is it White bread & CocaCola or Oatmeal and Blueberries? The former is just calorically dense and worthless junk from a nutritional point of view while the later provides a plethora of macro and micro nutrients -- most of which don't even show up on the nutrition label. It also depends on whether your only goal is weight loss or if you are also concerned about your long term health.
StrangeDays said: Nope, I’m not mistaken, and i’m not proposing eating fat makes you fat (I had a typo in my post when describing the professor who ate twinkies to lose weight due to consuming a caloric *deficit*). As an athlete and weight lifter I’ve been studying nutrition and fitness for many years. Calories in, calories out. It doesn’t matter if you’re eating carbs or fat — excess calories are stored as fat. In fact dietary fats are more readily converted into lipids (body fat) than carbs, if eating in a caloric surplus. But it’s the calories per gram that you need to be aware of — if you’re in a caloric deficit neither are going to “make you fat”. This is why as lifters we can and do eat 400g of carbs a day but less than 100g of fat. It’s just math. One gram of fat has over twice as many calories as carbs. You just need to balance your macros percentages properly.
No, 100 calories is about right. It depends on your weight to some degree. A healthy diet for an adult male who exercises moderately is around 2,500 - 3,000 calories per day. Do the math.
philboogie is referring to the fact that what people in the United States refer to as a "calorie" is actually a kilocalorie. So when a US label says "100 calories", it actually means 100 kilocalories, or 100,000 calories.
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That depends on what kind of carbs you're talking about: Is it White bread & CocaCola or Oatmeal and Blueberries? The former is just calorically dense and worthless junk from a nutritional point of view while the later provides a plethora of macro and micro nutrients -- most of which don't even show up on the nutrition label. It also depends on whether your only goal is weight loss or if you are also concerned about your long term health.
http://theshawnstevensonmodel.com/the-calorie-myth/
philboogie is referring to the fact that what people in the United States refer to as a "calorie" is actually a kilocalorie. So when a US label says "100 calories", it actually means 100 kilocalories, or 100,000 calories.