"You can't out train a bad diet" ???

liftsforchocolate

So I've heard ^ a lot. As well as "abs are made in the kitchen", "eating is 90% of your results" etc.

But what does that REALLY mean? You have to eat within your macros and get enough micronutrients to look good (muscle tone) or to avoid things like mcdonalds and greasy fast food and excess refined wheats because they somehow will not help you retain/gain muscle and lose fat? What if they are both the same macros and you do get all of your micros?

I've noticed a HUGE difference when I'm eating everything (including refined wheats, sugars, artificial sweetners, milk) vs. eating mostly clean (desserts/sweets also, but using natural/non gmo ingredients). But if I'm eating the same macros for each diet, why is it that there is such a huge difference? I look super lean, face glows/skin clear/healthy hair eating clean, but when I eat bread, splenda, soda, packaged foods, I get a mini gut sticking out, pimples/redness on my skin, and have much less energy at the gym.

Also, when I do eat the "unclean" stuff, its maybe 30-40% of my diet balanced with a lot of veggies, eggs, lean meats etc still.
I'm a little confused!

Dewymorning

IN terms of 'abs are made in the kitchen' a large part of being able to see your abs is body fat. You can strengthen your core all you like, but if they are hiding under fat you can not see them. Hence you need to lose the fat to see the abs.

Not sure if that answers everything.

popsicklestar

I used to work out regularly and try to eat mostly healthy and didn't understand why I wasn't skinnier. I was on the borderline of being overweight to about 5 pounds overweight, but I wanted to be thinner. It turns out I just needed to eat less. Eating too much healthy food makes you gain weight, too. Even though I was working out, I couldn't "out train my bad diet". I didn't think my diet was bad, but if you eat a few hundred calories over your TDEE here and there and never eat at a deficit, you slowly gain weight over time. Sometimes I would think, "I worked out today, so I can eat _________." I was wrong, though. I might have burned 400 calories in my workout, but the bagel with cream cheese and latte that I thought I "deserved" for working out had 700 calories. That's mostly what people really mean by, "You can't out train a bad diet."

liftsforchocolate

Thanks for your response! I do understand the bodyfat part of it, but a lot people claim you can still lose bodyfat/keep muscle while eating at a mod. deficit within macros, even eating fast food and processed foods but also lifting.

So I'm guessing maybe its the teratogens, chemicals, excess sodium/sugar in highly processed foods that contribute to the difference? Also innaccurately labeled caloric amounts, so that people are overeating a serving?

Still not sure...

1234terri

what is a macro and a micro?

jrniven

I don't notice any difference how I feel when I eat clean or dirty except for sodium. Excessive sodium makes me feel like crap.. However I eat very clean because I am on a cut and I get a much larger volume of food eating clean.

chezjuan

what is a macro and a micro?

Macro: Macronutrient. Carbs, protein, and fat.
Micro: Micronutrient. Vitamins, minerals, etc.

ChaseAlder

I don't notice any difference how I feel when I eat clean or dirty except for sodium. Excessive sodium makes me feel like crap.. However I eat very clean because I am on a cut and I get a much larger volume of food eating clean.

Haha, you eat dirty...

1pandabear

Let's say you ate the same amount of calories in cake instead of salmon then what happens?
A partial answer in this from a previous post by Lisa1971 "Carbs are stored as glycogen, glycogen needs a lot of water for storage. When you cut way back on carbs, you lose a lot of water weight because your body is storing less. When you eat higher carbs after that, you gain the water weight back, as your glycogen stores increase."

ninerbuff

This usually means that one can't effectively train hard enough to burn enough calories to compensate for over consumption. What's a great burn for say an hour of hard cardio? 600-1000 calories? Just because one did that doesn't mean they can go out and eat a large pizza (that's let's say 2000 calories) and expect good results.
Body fat loss comes down to the body being energy storage being low. Jay Cutler eats "clean" all year around and bulks up on about 5,000 calories a day. So eating "clean" isn't the definitive answer, especially since I personally know many people who are quite lean who aren't very clean eaters.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

what is a macro and a micro?

Macro- protein, carbs, fats.
Micro- vitamins, minerals, organic acids

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

watto1980

I don't notice any difference, but to hit my macros I usually have to eat the 'healthier' stuff. The only difference I find is that less processed foods seem to keep me feeling full for longer.

But still I can't deny the fact I enjoy standing in line at the super market with a basket full of ice cream, chocolate, frozen pizza, soda and other crap while looking lean lol

liftsforchocolate

Ok, I think I'm getting the idea now...thank you so much!

I'm paranoid of machines overestimating cals burned, so I do the deficit through diet and do minimal cardio.

MelodyandBarbells

I don't notice any difference, but to hit my macros I usually have to eat the 'healthier' stuff. The only difference I find is that less processed foods seem to keep me feeling full for longer.

But still I can't deny the fact I enjoy standing in line at the super market with a basket full of ice cream, chocolate, frozen pizza, soda and other crap while looking lean lol

I hate you :bigsmile:

liftsforchocolate

I don't notice any difference, but to hit my macros I usually have to eat the 'healthier' stuff. The only difference I find is that less processed foods seem to keep me feeling full for longer.

But still I can't deny the fact I enjoy standing in line at the super market with a basket full of ice cream, chocolate, frozen pizza, soda and other crap while looking lean lol

OMG this is the best feeling ever haha. Eating peanut butter out of the jar, dark chocolate with my breakfast. When I used to IF (intermittent fasting) the looks on everyone's face when they saw me eat ~1700 cals within 1-2 hrs was pretty hilarious. Having refeeds out is pretty funny/ironic too.

kimosabe1

:laugh: fo sho!

Dewymorning

what is a macro and a micro?

Macroeconomics, the field of study of the aggregate behaviour of an economy.
Microeconomics, the field of study of the behaviour of individual people, households and firms within an economy.

Oops, wait, this is MFP, not my economics tutorial.

westendcurls

.

TonyStark30

I Ate a pound of raw Peanuts on Monday, snacking all afternoon and night, not really gluttony, never felt full or that I should stop. That is 2576 Calories you can't really outtrain that habit!

toddis

I saw a video on youtube once...(imagine that)
Guy ate a piece of pizza and a coke...then got on the treadmill to burn it off.
Basic point was it takes minutes to eat the calories it takes hours to burn them off.

bartholomewpumpernickle

that is very true you diet is 80 percent and your workout is 20 percent. A lot of people are so into not eating or going hungry which hurts you very badly. Back in the old days man/woman ate meat and green and they were just fine. Nowadays all people eat is junk

rockmama72

You can't out train a bad diet--so what does it mean to you, OP? You answered your own question.

It's pretty cool that you've tried some different eating styles and you found what makes you feel best. Most people find their optimum health with more natural foods, less junk foods, with a healthy attitude about when and on what to indulge.

I have a new saying: "Your belly is made by your choices." Because when you look in the mirror, no matter what you see, fat or abs, it's there because of what YOU do.

evileen99

It means that you can eat 500 calories in about 5 minutes, but for most, it would take over an hour of exercise to burn off those 500 calories. Unlike what many people think, you can't overeat every day and somehow magically burn off those calories. It's simply too much work, and you'll gain weight.

Mr_Knight

Technically, because the body can only metabolize so much food in a day, it is actually possible to out train a "bad" diet. There are certain types of professional athletes whose training is, in essence, limited by the amount of food they can actually digest.

But it would literally be a full job. You would have to train constantly.

Not really an option for non-professionals.