Comparing the Diets: Part 3
The next major dietary camp refers to any diet consisting of relatively moderate carbohydrate and dietary fat intakes. This includes diets such as Barry Sear’s “The Zone”, Dan Duchaine’s “Isocaloric diet”, 30/40/30 nutrition and others. Such diets generally recommend a macronutrient split based on fairly equal amounts of protein, carbs and fat. Various scientific rationales, usually involving hormonal control are typically given.
Comparing the Diets: Part 2
In Comparing the Diets: Part 1, I made some introductory comments about the different primary approaches to dieting which are high-carbohydrate/low-fat, moderate carb/moderate fat, and low-carbohydrate/high-fat. I also defined my terms as to what I mean by high, moderate and low. In the next parts of this article series, I want to examine each of [...]
Comparing the Diets: Part 1
If you read diet literature, it seems as if there are nearly an infinite number of dietary approaches out there. However, once you start looking at it in terms of generalities, you find that this isn’t really the case. The number of distinct dietary approaches is actually quite minimal.
How Detail Oriented Do You Need to Be?
If the internet has accomplished one thing, it’s making people extremely obsessive compulsive about the most minute details of their training program and diet. Arguments and flame wars erupt over the absolutely least consequential of things. How many minutes should pass between sets, how long after workout before you drink your liquid beef aminos with waxy maize starch, stuff like that.
Nutrient Metabolism Overview
In this chapter, I want to give readers a very brief and simplified overview of human metabolism and nutrient use. Which, for those who know a lot about the topic will realize, is an understatement of vast proportion. The complexities of human metabolism can and do fill up hundreds of pages in physiology books and this chapter should be taken with that in mind.
Is a Calorie a Calorie?
Simply put, the debate comes down to this: all that matters is caloric balance (calories in versus calories out) or do the source of those calories matter? The short and simple answer, of course, is ‘No’. The longer answer is what this article is about.
Introduction to Dieting
I am credited with having made the following statement on an internet newsgroup “Diet books tell you that you don’t have to reduce calories to lose weight, and then trick you into doing it anyway.” In this article, I want to look at some basic concepts related to dieting, the myriad weight-loss diets that exist, etc.
You Are Not Different
All over the internet, on forums dedicated to everything from weight loss to muscle gain, people will loudly argue that they are different. “My metabolism is different.”, “My nervous system is different”, “My muscles are different”, things of that sort. Everyone is a unique and delicate flower, just like their mom told them.
Training Secrets
Now, this is the American way, look for a quick fix secret instead of realizing that the only way to succeed is with ass busting work over a long period of time. Give me a pill, a piece of equipment, a piece of clothing (UnderArmor being the new clothing of choice for gym posers everywhere). Anything except for having to put in ass busting work over a period of time.
The Importance of Rest
I want you to ask yourself how many days off you take each week. And when I say off I mean off. Not “I do an hour of aerobics but that doesn’t count.” I mean off. One, maybe two. Probably not that many. How many people (the ones wearing the various braces) are in there every day, sometimes more than once? Either they are doing weights multiple times per week and cardio on the off days or they are doing both each day.
