Dieting Q&As Please knowledgeable people chime in

[sleepstalker]

1. I am noticing now in my mid-late 20s how hard it is to make the lbs come off. 10yrs ago I would lose 1-3lbs a week if I simply lowered my calories. Now it doesnt happen. I need more time in order for my bodyweight to go down. The 1lb doesnt come off until like the 3rd week. Is this normal?

2. Why are people saying white rice vs brown rice the carbs dont matter when white rice is a manufactured food. Like white bread. If one is over weight and shitty genetics wouldnt they get more of an insulin response from it?

3. Why is Vitamin A coupled with Vitamin D in nature, yet Vitamin A negatively affects the absorption of Vitamin D?

4. Lastly when one has to lose say 10lbs and they are calculating macros to lose fat SLOWLY, they shave off 20% of calories right? Well what happens after they lose the 20%? Keep lowering calories? or Bulk?

5. If glycogen replenishment is a slow process, why do some bodybuilders stuff AS MANY carbs from their intake as possible around their training. I know for the insulin sensitivity and to burn them up but what if insulin from TOO much carbs are too high? Wouldnt that defeat the purpose?

Thats all I could think of for now. Anyone want to take a stab at it cool.

[hellomycognomen]

1. To lose 1lb of fat takes about 3500 calories, reduce caloric intake by ~500 daily and you should lose 1lb/week. Dont confuse weight with body fat. Some fighters can dehydrate and lose 10lbs in a couple of hours, but that is water and not fat.
2.Yes, the more refined/processed the food the easier it digests, ie quick sugar upload and higher insulin response. Also more refined/processed less nutrient dense it becomes.
3.In general yes, but the body uses both and its not a problem unless you are getting a ridiculous amount of vit A, for a general healthy diet there are no worries.
4.To lose 1lb of fat reduce 3500calories, however you see fit, either diet or working them off. More muscle --> higher metabolic rate --> burn more fat --> can eat more --> Once you get to your desired body fat percentage its up to you whether to stay there via a calories in, calories out balance.
5. You need carbs period, no carbs = ketosis = eventual death. Insulin spikes are normal daily process if you insulin remains too high or is a problem then you have health issues, most people dont have to worry about this, this is only a problem if you are overweight obese or have diabetes.

-Cheers

[sleepstalker]

Thanks so much repped. One thing I am 20-25% bodyfat now. So how should I care about carbs and insulin?

[tarmyg]

5. You need carbs period, no carbs = ketosis = eventual death. Insulin spikes are normal daily process if you insulin remains too high or is a problem then you have health issues, most people dont have to worry about this, this is only a problem if you are overweight obese or have diabetes.

This is a ridiculous statement. Carbohydrates is the ONE thing the body do NOT need. Not only is Ketosis completely healthy it is also what is becoming the new performance diet and in the way modern science pointing. Please feel free to back up this statement one any sort of proof.

~T

[hellomycognomen]

I was referring to Ketoacidosis. Even with keto diets there is no way to completely cut out carbs. Carbs/sugars are in basically everything unless you are doing a strict carnivore diet. No one in their right mind would only eat meat and nothing else. Carbohydrates are not the enemy, excess crap eating is the enemy.

[tarmyg]

I was referring to Ketoacidosis. Even with keto diets there is no way to completely cut out carbs. Carbs/sugars are in basically everything unless you are doing a strict carnivore diet. No one in their right mind would only eat meat and nothing else. Carbohydrates are not the enemy, excess crap eating is the enemy.

So you are referring to Ketoacidosis (Not sure what else you could have been referring to), how does that change your statement that this will lead to death?

Keto generally happens to anyone eating between 60-100 grams of carbs/day (some have to go lower). Why are you talking about cutting them completely, how is this relevant?

~T

[Icy]

This is a ridiculous statement. Carbohydrates is the ONE thing the body do NOT need. Not only is Ketosis completely healthy it is also what is becoming the new performance diet and in the way modern science pointing. Please feel free to back up this statement one any sort of proof.

~T

I'm interested to know who would take a ketogenic diet for performance? Are we talking about athletic performance because if so that's ridiculous. It takes more energy to burn fat than it does carbs. Why would an athlete want that when they need to burn calories for energy as fast as possible? Now if it's just strictly trying to lose body fat, then yes can work, but for performance that wouldn't make any sense. I mean I could be wrong

[tarmyg]

I'm interested to know who would take a ketogenic diet for performance? Are we talking about athletic performance because if so that's ridiculous. It takes more energy to burn fat than it does carbs. Why would an athlete want that when they need to burn calories for energy as fast as possible? Now if it's just strictly trying to lose body fat, then yes can work, but for performance that wouldn't make any sense. I mean I could be wrong

I think the most famous example is the L.A Lakers (Nutrition in the NBA; Part I: Lessons learned in L.A. help Howard's career - CBSSports.com) who have removed carbs as a source. I realize that in the middle of this science changing there will be people on both sides but the book The Art & Science of Low Carb Performance by Volek & Phinney sums up the latest research in a good way, IMO.

And every endurance athlete knows what happens to performance when their carbohydrate tank (at best holding 2000 Calories) runs dry – performance goes down in flames. It’s an unfortunate reality that the human body is unable to promptly switch from carbs to fat as its predominant exercise fuel, so once the former is gone, you can’t power your performance with fat (even though a carbohydrate-depleted body still has tens of thousands of fat Calories on hand).

The key fact underlying this book is that you can train your body to burn fat by simply changing your diet over a period of a few weeks, thereby turning blood sugar and glycogen into secondary fuels. Once you make this transition, you can then train harder, perform longer, and recover faster. So the simple answer to why we endorse a low carbohydrate lifestyle for athletes is that this strategy has worked for us and many people we know. More importantly, we have both conducted and published human research that supports this approach, adding to a growing body of literature that now points to the merits of reducing dietary carbohydrates to optimize fat metabolism. We have thus accumulated a unique knowledge base that we want to share so you too may experience it for yourself.

Thanks
~T

[Icy]

I remember this. Dwight was eating a bunch of candy and soda. Of course performance improves when you add better foods. To me, it's like running a race with leg weights. If you constantly wear leg weights, you can eventually run faster than the day you began to wear them, but that doesn't mean you are running at your optimal speed. I'll have to give that book a read. I'm very interested in this. Thanks for the info

[Back In Black]

OP how about you tell us your weight and your current macro plan and how often you lift and do cardio. Do you have any idea of your actual maintenance calories. Ideally you would know this then you can easily make adjustments to lose the desired weight per week. Slow weight loss is preferred, it took long enough for you to gain the weight it shouldn't matter that it takes a while to lose it then you can preserve your LBM as best as possible.

Ultimately, at over 20% bodyfat there's no reason you shouldn't be dropping 2lbs a week for the first few weeks. If you want to this and aren't then you are simply eating too much. Most people's metabolism will drop as they get older, some drastically so. You just need to adapt your diet to take this into account.

[hellomycognomen]

T, let me modify my statement: In a healthy person keto diet is not a problem.

If the person has health issues (diabetes, liver insufficiency, thyroid problems, etc) ketosis could lead to blood pH imbalances and death.

5. The reason why they "stuff AS MANY carbs from their intake as possible around their training" it could be they are doing a targeted keto diet.