Hi I was wondering if I could pick you guys brains.
I’ve been training for about a year and I’m trying to get cut. Now previously I’d always thought that I need high protein high fat and the get carbs down
However
I’ve just bought Powereating by Susan Kleiner.
On her burning fat section she state
Concentrate on carbs, They are critical to fat loss
They are required in celluar reactions involved in burning fat
They spare protein from being used as fuel, therefore its main job is to repair and building lean muscle tissue.
They restock glycogen leading to more powerful workouts
They have a thermic effect
Loaded with fibre which has many benefits.
She states as part of a fat loss training program u need 5grms per kg of bw.
Obviously many people have different theories on fat burning and this book was written in 98.
Generally the consensus, at least among the members of this site, is that some form of carb control is the way to go. There is quite a bit of disagreement about how much, and even to some extent what kinds are appropriate. Here are the main positions:
Carb selection - Essentially avoiding “bad” carbs like sugar, corn syrup, processed white flour, and potatoes. Almost everyone agrees on this one, though a few who are more carb tolerant use potatoes in moderation. (most substitute sweet potatoes instead)
Carb cycling - Deliberate carb restriction through counting of grams with brief re-feeds at regular intervals. This is more controversial, but does seem to be popular with a large fraction of the members. (may or may not utilize ketosis on low days depending on the individual’s plan).
Carb restriction - Deliberate “low carb” eating where overall carb intake is kept low on purpose, but ketosis is not normally sought or achieved. This is less popular, but still used by quite a few members.
Ketogenic - Purposefully reducing carb intake far enough to reach ketosis. The fraction of members which believe full time ketosis is a good thing is pretty low. While fantastic for weight loss, it’s success at fat loss is somewhat less pronounced.
Personally, I tend to favor carb selection. In my mind the key issue is insulin management, carb intake amounts and quality are really just means of manipulating that.
Go to Amazon.com and buy “The Metabolism Advantage” by John Berardi. It’s only $16, and you’ll learn a lot about how to eat properly and why. It also has recipes and 8 weeks worth of meals you can follow in addition to the training program/advice contained in the book.
Normally you’re not going to count carb grams per day unless you’re trying for ketosis. What you do want to count is protein grams and total calories. Yes, I recommend getting precision nutrition, it’s packed full of good information especially if you’re just starting.
Would I be better following Berardi or is it an individual thing?[/quote]
You are correct in that it is an individual thing. We all have different metabolisms and especially different tolerances for carbohydrates.
However, I’m willing to bet the house that more people have had better results with a Berardi style of eating, than with a high carbohydrate approach to fat loss.
Some people are just more tolerant of carbs. Most likely due to lifestyle. When I ran track and played hockey twice a week, I could get by with loads of healthy carbs in my deit.
Years later, sitting at a desk all day made me rethink why I was getting softer when my diet hadn’t changed all that much. Now (I’m 34) I pay a lot more attention to not only how many carbs I ingest, but what sources they come from.