LucasWilland Member

This just goes to show how twisted the fitness industry is in dealing with actual science. The only thing that has ever shown to cause fat loss ever is a calorie deficit, yet somewhere along the way, possibly from the unbelievable amount of BS from Gary Taubes and fitness magazines, people got the idea that weight loss…

How do you know you are gaining fat? If you are exercising, you could well be building muscle. Also, there has never been shown to be any advantage in a metabolic ward study in terms of energy expenditure or fat loss to a ketogenic diet ever, going all the way back to the 1970s. The key is to find something sustainable…

So I am confused: is she advocating a water fast or just consuming more water?

Eating clean has nothing to do with fat loss. You can eat all the clean foods you want (whatever that means) and not lose an ounce of fat. Why? Because the only thing required to lose fat is a sustained calorie deficit. To prove my point, a body builder, school teacher, and many others have lost fat eating the majority of…

A 5-day water diet is a good idea if you want to burn muscle and end up malnourished. Fasting recommendations for retention of muscle are no longer than 20 hours, which is why intermittent fasting protocols typically utilize 16 hour approaches. You will lose a lot of weight on a 5 day water fast, but the majority of it…

The biggest issue with the more than 2 lbs per week of fat loss is that many people find that it is harder to maintain a consistent rate of progress (there is some research showing a greater decrease in metabolic rate with very large deficits, 30% or more). This, however, can be somewhat offset by having periods of refeeds…

Body fat % has nothing to do with whether you can have rice or not. In fact, some of the leanest and healthiest people in the world, the Blue Zones, have the majority of their calories, 60%, from rice and carbohydrates. It is true, however, that rice can be quite calorically dense, and white rice is perhaps not the most…

You're correct. The issue comes down with that it is easier to overeat some foods than others. If you try to have 200 grams of sweet potatoes and vegetables vs 200 grams of Snicker's bars, you will most likely be too stuffed to the gills to want to eat much, which is why both diet quality and quantity is important. In…

I was also curious as to how you track a client's progress. Do you use scale measurements, waist, arm measurements, etc.. and how often do you recommend that they take measurements? Every week, every month? Also, even though this is not related, how do you determine whether an individual has reached a fat loss plateau, and…

Yep, you're right, but it also comes down to genetics-- some people will store fat in other areas than others. There have been examples of men getting really lean, around 9 to 8%, but still having a bit of lower fat on the abdomen-- with women, it is mainly the glutes and the legs, though individuals will vary.

I think what she means to say is that two things can have the same energy density yet produce very different effects based on satiety and volume. For instance, it is far easier to overeat a hyperpatable food like cake or soda than it is to overeat Fuji apples because Fuji apples have more fiber, which adds bulk to the…

She's right, but if you are a small female and looking to get smaller, it is generally not a good idea to cut your calorie intake under 1,200: not only does it make getting in proper nutrients harder, but the female body is also more prone to quick metabolic adaptation, due to the importance of nurturing a child during…

Why is that a good idea? After all that glycogen from the food and carbs eaten during the day, the scale could easily go up 2 pounds or more. You want to reduce as many outliers as possible to ensure that you are progressing.

Just out of curiosity, how do you set up your client's diet if they are looking to lose fat or build muscle?

This area of the body has less alpha receptors, which is why the area you are referring to is known as stubborn fat because it takes longer for the fat to circulate in the bloodstream where it can be used in place of glucose for ATP. Where you store the majority of your fat is largely genetic, and there is nothing you can…

Also, I would like to point out that it is entirely possible for two people to look different at the same weight because one may have more muscle mass than the other, which is why weight alone is a useless indicator.

The scale is one data point, but is not the be all end all. As I explained before, scale weight can fluctuate based on bowel content, water retention, intake of salty foods, menstrual cycle, etc.. A person can easily go up in scale weight 4 pounds a day without any change in fat-free mass or fat mass. It is also possible…

Don't believe the BS with Lectins. It is true that grains and other plant foods do contain Lectins, which have the potential to interfere with the body's ability to absorb minerals, but so does spinach as well as many other leafy greens, which Paleo advocates are strangely fond of. If nutrient absorption is a concern, you…

http://www.jmaxfitness.com/blog/protein-intake/

I would forget the macro percentages and do something a little less tedious. Set protein at least at .8 grams per pound (there are benefits for satiety, but there has been no published research so far that has shown a benefit for muscle retention, you can certainly have more if you want). Set fat at least at 20% of…

You must have misunderstood me. I did illustrate the importance of micronutrients in a diet. I DO NOT believe that IIFYM is an excuse to fit as much junk in as possible, but that is what the average laymen or women thinks it is. Also, I think it is entirely possible for a flexible diet to become too inflexible. If flexible…

I agree, and that's wonderful. Understand: I am not bashing those who are attempting to make a healthier lifestyle, but it is important to realize that taking too much of an extreme approach because society says you should do so is both misguided and dangerous. The amount of girls and young women I see with eating…

People misunderstand what flexible dieting is. They think that is an excuse to fit as much junk food as you want because it fits into your macros. That's not the point at all. IIFYM highlights the importance of being in a calorie deficit for fat loss regardless of the foods that one chooses to achieve this deficit. People…

Contrary to what some people will tell you, females are not just smaller men with periods. This article on JPS Fitness has some scientific reasons why it is harder for females to lose fat:https://www.jpshealthandfitness.com.au/female-fat-loss-different/

It could be that you are eating more than you think. Though I by no means advocate measuring and recording every once of food that touches your lips, a lot of people are shocked when they find out just how much a serving of peanut butter or pasta actually looks like. If you are just eyeballing it or going by memory,…

This is to be expected. During the first part of dieting, you might see a big drop in weight loss. This is largely due to a loss of water and glycogen from being in a calorie deficit (note: this is an even bigger effect if you are on a low carb diet). A better idea is to take weekly measurements of the waist, neck, and…

I would cut until you are at least around 10 to 13% body fat. Why? It's quite simple: the leaner you are, the better your nutrient partitioning, the amount of nutrients you consume that go towards fat-free mass vs fat mass, will be. When you do start a bulk, do not make the mistake of adding in huge amounts of calories…

Generally, I hate dogma, which is what I try to rally against. I will make a post on that later.

I can see your point here. My intention in writing the post was to bring something to mind that I have noticed lately, and that is a lot of people that have this mindset: "well, if only I looked like I did when I was in college," people will like me more. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look better and get in shape…

I would also add that you should do some form of resistance training, ideally at least 2-3 times a week while trying to lose fat, as the research shows that you are more likely to add on larger amounts of fat mass when you gain weight again than with it.