To eat or not to eat ...

[calstate23]

Bump - because this topic/debate is a good learning experience for our members.

Again, I just have to say there has been times were I have eaten 2-3 meals a day for 2 weeks+ while training the same....Personally, I did not like it and felt like crap. To me there was less of a benefit, not only the way I felt, but the intensity of my training and on my physique. I have never tried 1 meal a day and will never to be honest. I just know my body too well and I couldn't function like that, especially when training hard and heavy almost everyday..

I do think comparing pros vs. the average weight lifter is pretty vast....But at the end of the day, most body builders use a standard protocol which works the best and then increase it's effectiveness with timing and hormones...For example, the theory that after a workout it might be a good idea to take in simple carbs to spike insulin and push all the nutrients back into the muscle...For the average person, some may like this and some may not...And for those not using insulin it may actually not be the best protocol...But still at the end of the day that is typical of a pro using insulin to inject after a workout..So technically, that is most likely the best way our body can benefit. Just because a bodybuilder is using insulin does not take away the essence of what that means, that it works...I personally have never used insulin, but I know many that do and I can also tell you....It really works...

[gbrice75]

Every nite? Isn't that too much fat even if it is lean?

It depends on your total daily fat intake. For me, it would be way too much.

Again, I just have to say there has been times were I have eaten 2-3 meals a day for 2 weeks+ while training the same....Personally, I did not like it and felt like crap. To me there was less of a benefit, not only the way I felt, but the intensity of my training and on my physique. I have never tried 1 meal a day and will never to be honest. I just know my body too well and I couldn't function like that, especially when training hard and heavy almost everyday..

This is what's most important. You have to listen to your body and do what feels best. If you felt like crap when eating 2-3 meals a day, chances are you'd feel like crap eating 1 meal per day. Maybe not. But what you DO know is you do best when you eat several times per day, i.e. you've found what works best for you, and if it ain't broke.....

I just want to debunk the idea that eating 1-3 meals per day is BAD or has some negative impact. It may have for you, but just like several meals/day works well for you, less frequent larger meals work just as well for others, me included. It works both ways... again it comes down to trial and error and doing what you feel yields the best results.

I do think comparing pros vs. the average weight lifter is pretty vast....But at the end of the day, most body builders use a standard protocol which works the best and then increase it's effectiveness with timing and hormones...For example, the theory that after a workout it might be a good idea to take in simple carbs to spike insulin and push all the nutrients back into the muscle...For the average person, some may like this and some may not...And for those not using insulin it may actually not be the best protocol...But still at the end of the day that is typical of a pro using insulin to inject after a workout..So technically, that is most likely the best way our body can benefit. Just because a bodybuilder is using insulin does not take away the essence of what that means, that it works...I personally have never used insulin, but I know many that do and I can also tell you....It really works...

Again - pro's are using insulin in conjunction with ridiculous amounts of gear, food, and training intensity/volume that the average lifter can't fathom. To assume the average person can benefit from insulin spikes the same way a pro does without all other things being equal and in place is flawed logic, IMHO.