Is There a Diet to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle?
Question by Aesthetic: Is there a diet to lose fat and gain muscle?
Hello, I have a sort of a belly and I’m starting working out tomorrow. I have started a diet a week ago in which i mainly focus on boiled vegetables and chicken breast. I avoid any type of fast foods, soda drinks, rice, bread, sugar and salt. I know I must take carbs for energy (from brown rice for example…) how much carbs should i consume or should i consume at all? Should I buy supplements (proteins)?
Note: I am 6’2 tall and a mesomorph.
Best answer:
Answer by Skeptic
The diet that has worked for me is a Whole Food, Plant Based (WFPB) diet which is really a lifestyle change in your food choices. It avoids refined carbohydrates, oils, fats, sugars, excess salt, and food additives. It recommends vegetables, dark leafy greens, legumes (peas, beans, lentils), whole grains (brown rice, quinoa), and non-citrus fruits. I consume a tablespoon of ground flax seed for Omega-3 fatty acids but otherwise avoid all oils and fats for heart health (See Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. for details).
The top marathon runners and some of the most elite Olympic athletes follow a mostly WFPB diet. Eating all vegetables has not hurt the strength and health of our nearest living relatives, the great apes (over 90% of the same genetics). They don’t seem to have any problem building massive muscles by eating just plants. (There are a number of vegan body builders out there if you think that this doesn’t make sense for humans. See the web site for T. Colin Campbell.) There have been hundreds of peer-reviewed studies that support the WFPB diet. Some of the most elite human nutrition researchers include T. Colin Campbell, Neal Barnard, Dean Ornish, and many others.
After kicking any addictions to a Standard American Diet (SAD), you will experience a feeling of well being that is uunparalleled That’s why the vast majority of people who give the WFPB diet a 30 day trial will continue eating this way. I suggest that you do your own research to verify that this way of eating is right for you.
How much carbs should i consume or should i consume at all?
Among the experts I cited, the general consensus is that you should consume 80% of your calories in the form of complex carbohydrates, 10% in the form of fats, and 10% in the form of protein. Do not worry about protein shortages, it’s almost nonexistent in Western cultures.
Should I buy supplements (proteins)?
If you eat a balanced WFPB diet, supplements will not provide any benefit. If you consume too much protein, it is merely removed from your blood stream through your kidneys and liver. Typically, this causes metabolic acidosis which can lead to osteoporosis and kidney damage. In addition, animal protein, especially casein(cow milk protein or whey protein) can help grow cancer tumors. These animal based proteins are linked ot prostate cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, and rreproductivecancers. This is a very increase in risk approaching ten times (an order of magnitude). For details, please read T. Colin Campbell’s book “Whole.” The supplement industry hawks supplements, but the science supporting the safety and efficacy of these products are lacking. I should add that the bovine growth hormone and genetically modified bovine growth hormone in dairy products such as protein supplements, whey, milk, and cheese, can contribute to rapid mmusclegrowth. However, laboratory studies of animals have substantiated that this rapid growth through animal based food products also result in shorter life expectancy and more health problems. Professor Campbell substantiated this result for humans in very large demographic studies conducted over a period of three decades. Supplements in general do not provide the thousands of micronutrients available in whole plant based foods. Sometimes, supplements have contaminents that are dangerous. Sometimes, too much of a particular nutrient can upset the balance of your body. Finally, the many studies attempting to show direct benefit of supplements have shown the reverse. They are recommended today based upon theoretical benefits.
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