Yesterday I was looking at a post on livestrong.com. I wish I could find the post again but apparently the author was anit-everything when it comes to good advice. Some of the things that he proposed are as follows:
1. Eating before bed is no different than eating when waking
2. Eating cleaner, doesn’t mean eating healthier and losing weight
3. Back off the proteins to around 10 grams only at one sitting.
4. It’s ok to eat white pasta, rice, bread.
5. Carbs are not evil
He also had a myriad of other things that were good advice and some was just contrary to just about everything. Advice like this is dangerous. People take this stuff to heart. There is a little bit of truth in everything he has said above but there are caveats. Let’s take a look at reality.
1. Eating before bed is no different than eating when waking
Well if you are trying to cut body fat, you better not do this. Your last meal should be at least 3 hours before bed. Spiking your insulin right before bed is a no no. You can always consume a little lean protein as maybe a snack but I wouldn’t even do that. If you are trying to gain weight or you get up really early to work out, this might be a better thing to do, but I still don’t think it is necessary.
2. Eating cleaner, doesn’t mean eating healthier and losing weight
It’s true that many people equate eating clean foods, means you will lose weight. It is also true that if you eat too much of anything you will gain weight. Although, I’d rather eat too much wheat germ, than too many processed foods like potatoes chips and candy. Cleaner foods are better for your overall health, the digest slower and generally improve your well being.
3. Back off the proteins to around 10 grams only at one sitting.
Lots of contrary advice on this one but the author is partially correct. The body can only synthesize about 10 grams an hour for muscles and anything over that gets converted to energy and energy not burned off is stored as fat. So what’s the solution? Mix your protein with slow digesting carbs. Eat some oatmeal with it or just sip it slowly over a hour to an one and half period. Studies do show that anything over 30 grams in a 3 hour period is gone to waste for sure though. So doubling up on your whey protein isn’t going to help you build muscle any faster. The typical serving scoop is 22 grams, so two scoops is 44, which means even if you are mixing it with slow digesting carbs, you are wasting at least 14 grams. Chances are you are just putting water in it and guzzling it down with nothing in it or with it. In that case you are wasting a whopping 34 grams of it… It’ll end up around your belly and hips that way.
4. It’s ok to eat white pasta, rice, bread.
Sure it’s ok to eat these things. In small quantities and if you are not trying to lose fat. Potatoes, white rice, white pasta and white bread are killers when it comes to trying to lose weight. They digest very fast and produce an insulin response that makes your body store fat and insulin is counter to growth hormone in the body which inhibits your ability to build muscle. I don’t advise eating these things at all but a small portion of them every now and then won’t hurt.
5. Carbs are not evil
This is similar to #4 and I agree that carbs are not evil but everything has it’s place in moderation. Carbs are necessary for the body to burn fat, build muscle and have any stamina to be able to move. Your meals should always contain carbs, at least the slow digesting ones, wholes grains, oats, wheat germ. If you aren’t taking in any carbs, you won’t build a lick of muscle or burn an ounce of fat no matter how much protein you swill. But take heed from #4 and be very wary of how many carbs you intake and how sensitive your body is to carbs. For example, I can have 1 cup of pasta and I could gain a lb of fat. I’m just oversensitive to carbs. So I consume very slow digesting carbs that are as raw as possible. Veggies are also a very good source for this. The higher the fiber content, the slower the diestion.
Note that nowhere in here did I mention good fats like flax, fish, sesame, olive oil. Make sure you get some good fats in your diet and avoid trans fat and sat fat at all costs. Good fats should always be a part of your diet.
Advice is advice, everyone gives it, but it isn’t always giving you the whole story. Another thing is that everyone is different, what works for one person may not work for another. There is no one size fits all diet. However, everyone needs to follow a wide set of guidelines and then tune it in to what works for you. Another thing is that not everyone’s goals are the same. I want to look more like Chris Helmsworth, Henry Cavil or Chris Evans, but some guys want to look more like Russel Crowe and be happy. Some women are fine with some junk in the trunk and some want to look like Halle Berry. Everyone is different but you’re not going to get anywhere if you are always eating saturated fats, trans fats, stuffing yourself with white carbs… well you might make it to the morgue earlier than you expect…
