Alan Aragon
@TheAlanAragon
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Here are my thoughts on meal frequency & body composition. This topic is often discussed fruitlessly since the different populations & goals aren’t specified. Sorry about the repost, I couldn't let a typo just echo in eternity.
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Notes on the mythical diagnosis of sugar addiction:
1) Most claiming to have a "sweet tooth" also have a "cheeseburger & fries tooth."
2) Most who think they have a sugar addiction ironically don't have a "fresh fruit addiction."
3) Don't confuse hyperpalatable foods with sugar.
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Taking BCAA supplements on top of sufficient total daily protein is as useful as rubbing a nice layer of sunscreen...on the roof of your house.
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Research has confirmed that e-fighting with vegans is far worse for your health than consuming red meat.
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1980's: Fat is bad. It causes obesity, diabetes, & heart disease.
1990's: Carbohydrate is bad. It causes obesity, diabetes, & heart disease.
2000's: Protein is bad. It shortens the lifespan of yeast, worms, & rats.
2010's: Eating is bad. It interrupts the magic of fasting.
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“I’m on the carnivore diet, works great for me!”
^^^That’s fine.
“I’m on the carnivore diet, and everyone who isn’t on the carnivore diet is harming, or at least not optimizing their health.”
^^^That’s stupid.
___________
Note: any diet applies in place of the above.
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Left pic: 2014 camping trip. Professional life was great, but alcohol addiction put a dark cloud over my personal life, & my drinking eventually got bad enough to affect my professional life. Right pic: Dec 2020, 2 yrs alcohol-free. Now I’m addicted to oatmeal & protein powder :)
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What most people think:
“I cut out carbs and lost weight!”
What actually happens:
Reduction of hyperpalatable refined carb-fat combo foods usually defaults to higher protein & lower total kcal intake.
What most don’t realize: avoidance of carbs isn’t necessary or sustainable.
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Ah, the perpetual "anabolic window" discussion is still alive and well. Having collaborated on some of the key research in this area, I aim to clear up the common lack of context in discussions/debates surrounding this topic.
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Thinking you need to just “lose” weight is the problem. The solution begins with realizing you need to GAIN new habits and remodel your daily routine with effective countermeasures against old habits. That’s a whole different ballgame & mindset from merely “losing” something.
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Intermittent fasting (IF) has no special long-term benefits beyond its facilitation of lower energy intake. This may upset those believing that IF is superior to conventional dieting for wt loss & chronic disease prevention. Don’t be mad, be glad IF is a viable way to eat less.
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For whomever needs to hear this: mean-spirited/purposely destructive comments online never come from people who are happy with themselves and their circumstances. They're from people trying to bring the world down to their level of misery.
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How carb restriction works for weight/fat loss:
- Increased protein intake, greater satiety.
- Decreased intake of hyperpalatable entrees, snacks, & desserts.
- Decreased total caloric intake due to the previous points — not because of imaginative speculations about insulin.
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MYTH: more diet rules = healthier.
Rules I follow:
- Stay near the daily protein target w/high-quality sources
- Be flexible w/carb-fat proportion, eat a variety of mostly whole & minimally refined foods
- Eat enough to support training & body comp goals
- Eat foods you prefer
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A diet that covers essential nutrition and allows you to preserve muscle, become (or stay) lean, and maintain physical activity is the diet you should be on. All the rest of the details (specific food sources, timing of meals through the day/week, etc), are trivial by comparison.
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Evidence-based practice (EBP) within the health & fitness industry is mentioned a lot. However, we often overlook the fundamentals of EBP. Here’s to pushing the field forward.
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Calling highly processed, hyperpalatable snack/dessert foods “carbohydrates” is misleading. For example, fruits are nearly 100% carbohydrate. Ice cream & pastries like donuts are ~50/50% carbs & fat, and have 2-3x the calories per serving compared to fruit. Nomenclature matters.
This is your occasional reminder that carbohydrates are the main cause of human obesity. Powerful industries make and sell them. They are readily available, heavily marketed, addictive and delicious. But they are killing our health 🥐🍞🥯🥨🥪🍝🍟🍕🍦🍫🍪🍩🍚
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“Ancestral nutrition” is falsely claimed to be ideal. Stone Age Man opportunistically ate/scavenged whatever was available. Food selection varied widely, according to climate/geography. Cardiovascular health was maintained mainly via physical activity & leanness, not ideal diet.
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I’ve never known a single truly successful person who blamed others for his failures. On the other hand, there are legions of miserable people who blame everyone BUT themselves for their lack of success.
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Intermittent fasting (IF) advantages:
- Allows larger meals &/or greater intakes on feeding days.
IF disadvantages:
- Not ideal for the goal of maximizing muscle growth.
- For every sane person doing IF, there’s 5 nutcakes preaching that everyone else should be doing it too.
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Steps to optimize the carnivore diet (you're welcome):
1) Add liver. It will cover vitamin C needs.
2) Add dairy. It's from cows, and cows are animals.
3) Add fruits, vegetables, and grains because cows would eat them.
4) No need to add potato. Carnivore is already full-potato.
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HOW TO SCIENCE BADLY:
1) Adopt a dietary ideology via personal experience, claim universal superiority
2) Focus on isolated mechanisms, ignore human outcomes
3) Focus on animal data, ignore contrary human data
4) Focus on observational data, ignore contrary intervention data
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What The Rock calls his “cheat meal” is what scientists call “planned hedonic deviation,” which can strengthen adherence. It also functions as a weekly carb-up in a structured nonlinear diet for someone w/high training volume & LBM. It ain’t cheating when it’s part of the plan.
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"Eat less, move more" is in fact what needs to occur for long-term weight loss. The problem is, its vagueness is a major barrier to acting on it. A step up while maintaining simplicity would be, "Eat less junk, eat more whole food, drink more water, sit less, resistance train."
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In your 20’s & 30’s, you train to gain attention & acceptance from others. In your 40’s & 50’s, you train to maintain every ounce of muscle & sanity that hasn’t left you yet.
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I was asked my opinion of the body positivity movement. I think that everyone is entitled to being content with their bodies (regardless of weight), & not be judged for it. However, it’s false to claim obesity is healthy, & it’s wrong to discourage the pursuit of healthy wt loss.
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1980’s: Fat causes obesity & heart disease.
1990’s: Carbs are the devil.
2000’s: Protein will shorten your lifespan.
2010’s: Eating past 6:30pm will break your biological clock.
2020’s: Breaking your fast needs to be at a precise time and… Wow, we’re past 4 decades of bullsh!t.
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To my dear friends who identify as “carnivore” — can you at least acknowledge the humor in projecting strength & toughness while being mortally afraid of a salad?
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Thrusting forth what is (in my marginally humble opinion) the single-best paper on diets and body composition. Enjoy the read, you're welcome.
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Daily weight fluctuations are practically meaningless. Weekly weight averages can indicate trends. Monthly changes in appearance and clothing fit begin to tell the real story. Improvements in your attitude toward yourself matter more than any of these measures.
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The physique people want and the physique they’re willing to work for are often two different things.
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SCIENTIFIC MINDSET:
- Follows the evidence, even in opposing directions of current beliefs.
- Welcomes being wrong as a step forward in knowledge.
UNSCIENTIFIC MINDSET:
- Seeks confirmation of current beliefs, dismisses all else.
- Fears being wrong because it hurts the ego.
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The body is wired to see dieting as a survival threat. As you restrict intake, the body fights back by raising cravings & lowering spontaneous movement. You can “trick” the body by increasing protein, veg, & fruit, and focusing on fitness & performance goals instead of wt loss.
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In most cases, “stubborn fat” is more accurately attributable to “stubborn appetite.”
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Inconvenient truths about pizza:
- Pizza doesn't have feelings (except depression when its crust is made of cauliflower).
- You can abstain from pizza for the rest of your life and still die.
- Many people who eat pizza regularly will outlive you.
- Pizza, like life, is not fair.
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My transformation is not the most dramatic one on the outside, but there have been some dramatic changes for the better behind the scenes (and between the ears 😆).
I hereby call out the following to post a 10-year:
@DrNadolsky
@mackinprof
@jerryteixeira
#10yearchallenge
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CONTROVERSIAL IDEA: low-carb/high-fat, and high-carb/low-fat are both viable & valid dietary approaches. EVEN MORE CONTROVERSIAL: Both diet types can be in rotation through the week. The big drawback is that you’ll risk losing your membership with your diehard internet tribe.
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BREAKING NEWS: it’s very possible to achieve maximal lifespan & healthspan with zero engagement in purposeful fasting of any sort. It’s optional; a tool in the toolbox. Preaching fasting as the entire toolbox makes you a tool. :)
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A diet that's consistently 80-90% wholesome & nutritious is a lot better than a diet that evenly alternates between striving for 100% perfection between bouts of 100% crap.
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The carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity gets another solid nail in its coffin. Well done,
@KevinH_PhD
, et al.
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Minimum effective weekly dose per muscle group:
Hypertrophy: ~4 sets to failure (DOI: 10.1007/s40279-021-01605-8)
Strength: ~2-3 sets to failure, 70-85% 1RM (PMID: 31797219)
Less advanced can progress on this, more advanced can use it for deloads/temporary maintenance phases.
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Things within your control:
- Whether or not you train.
- Whether or not you stay hydrated & eat right.
- Whether or not you brush & floss.
- Whether or not your actions are constructive to yourself & others.
Things outside of your control:
- Whether or not your candidate wins.
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Uncomfortable likelihood:
Completely avoiding certain foods with the intention to prevent binges is the perfect setup for binging on these foods in the first place.
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The fitness industry breeds the nagging desire to LOOK like an elite athlete, but few have the drive or discipline to TRAIN like an elite athlete.
Little-known secret: you can still live a long, fulfilled, happy life without ever looking like an athlete, let alone an elite one.
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In light of the current confusion and touting of a SINGLE BEST WAY (low-carb/high-fat absolutists such as
@ProfTimNoakes
know what I'm referring to :)), here's the recent ISSN position paper on diets & body composition:
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FALSE: Weight loss is all about hormones, not calories.
FALSE: Weight loss is all about calories, not hormones.
TRUE: They’re inseparable. Hormones regulate appetite, which influences caloric intake. This affects energy balance, which ultimately dictates bodyweight.
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The claim that "a carb is a carb" - in other words, the idea that all carb sources might as well be refined sugar - is not true. This new study compared whole apples with a sugar-matched apple beverage (50% from concentrate, 50% added sugar):
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It’s rare to see gurus in the fitness/nutrition space say they don’t know the answer to a question. Most give answers regardless, without indicating degrees of speculation. Actual experts would admit that applied physiology has a mountain of questions lacking definitive answers.
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If gaining 1-2 lbs of muscle per month sounds painfully slow to you, ask yourself how many adults you know that have gained 24-48 lbs of muscle in the past 1-2 years. Heck, even half of that. Realistic rates of progress attached.
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The *real* fountain of youth is the increase and/or preservation of muscle mass and function. Chronically suboptimal protein and calories ain’t gonna fuel that fountain.
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I'm pretty sure oatmeal has a stronger research evidence base for favorable health effects than ice cream. But hey, where's the fun in the basic, boring truth?
What is happening in our society where people are demonizing oatmeal?
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The general public’s diet confusion is largely driven by claims of high-profile docs who don’t science. Example: Dr. Gundry says legumes are dangerous due to lectins, & fruits should be minimized due to fructose. Yet, he puts butter & MCT in his coffee. Can’t make this stuff up.
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“The training program I’m on has given me great results. Everyone should be on it.”
⇧ No one says that because it’s ridiculous.
“The diet I’m on has given me great results. Everyone should be on it.”
⇧ People say that all the time despite it being ridiculous.
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An overlooked fitness “hack” is to realize that it may take years to achieve substantial changes in body composition. Not weeks, not months… Years. This is because the process involves trial, error, derailments, adjustments, & learning new skills for maintaining the changes.
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Breaking news: dietary protein is essential :). Requirements to maintain LBM increase depending on the severity of the caloric deficit.
Even in HYPERcaloric conditions (3130 kcal), low protein (47 g/d; 0.68 g/kg) caused 2.8 kg muscle mass loss in 8 weeks:
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There's no need to seek alternative hypotheses of obesity to solve the "mystery" of it. The answer is to reduce energy intake &/or increase energy output, while maximally preserving LBM. The "mystery" worth solving is how to individualize programs to achieve long-term adherence.
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MYTH: Everyone needs to do formal cardio sessions for good health.
TRUTH: Formal cardio need depends on your goals & non-exercise physical activity level. Resistance training w/short rests is a legit form of cardio.
BONUS: Don’t confuse endurance goals w/the pursuit of health.
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@mrmarkdolan
Calling highly processed, hyperpalatable snack/dessert foods “carbohydrates” is misleading. For example, fruits are nearly 100% carbohydrate. Ice cream & pastries like donuts are ~50/50% carbs & fat, and have 2-3x the calories per serving compared to fruit. Nomenclature matters.
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So many nails, so little coffin :). Pictured are the key findings of a newly published (massive) review by Ashtary-Larky & colleagues, which examined the ketogenic diet literature spanning back from 1921 to the present day.
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Resistance training is the fountain of youth. Chocolate is the portal to immortality. It’s science.
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People on that silly carnivore (plant-free) diet fad won't like this:
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There’s a hierarchy of importance regarding protein intake (most important to least):
1) Total daily amount
2) Distribution through the day
3) Timing relative to training
This perspective should help you properly allocate your programming & compliance efforts regarding protein.
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Fat loss is possible in:
- a caloric deficit in anyone not at critical limits of leanness
- caloric maintenance in trainees not near their potential for leanness & muscle size
- caloric surplus for a very limited time in some trainees not near leanness & muscle size potential
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My friends & clients who are extremely successful financially (multi-millions, one client in the billions) share these common characteristics:
They don’t always know what they’re doing. They take risks & make adjustments. They don’t wait for comfortable certainty to act.
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Pillars of healthy dietary adherence:
- Eat the foods you enjoy, minimize food choice restrictions.
- Learn how to prepare foods & dishes you enjoy.
- Keep your environment stocked.
- Be strategic in situations where your staples are unavailable.
- Don’t obsess over perfection.
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I just sent the first draft of my next book to the publisher last night at a pretty early time (before 2am). What’s pictured is something I left in the manuscript because life is too damn long to spend it without a sense of humor. Happy Humpday, everyone!
#wegotthis
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Those claiming the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) are responsible for poor public health are unaware that 1) the general public doesn’t follow the DGA, and 2) studies on the DGA’s health effects are consistently positive. Let’s not confuse harm with noncompliance.
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Recent protein research findings relevant to those interested in bodybuilding (& brotacularity). Commentary here:
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Blowing the alarm whistle on oatmeal doesn’t work in light of the evidence.
Oatmeal is one of the worst foods you can eat.
There’s no health benefit in eating it and does not improve your heart health.
It spikes you glucose and gives you a sever hypoglycemic dip that makes you fatigued and increases cravings.
Stop eating it.
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How light is too light when training for muscle growth? This is particularly relevant to those in lockdown without some colossal weights to throw around. This question was addressed in a relatively recent study:
My commentary here:
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Dairy is inflammatory!!! Just kidding. The weight of the evidence shows neutral to beneficial effects on inflammation:
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3 steps to long-term dietary adherence:
1) Eat foods you personally prefer.
2) Eat at times that work best w/your preference, training goals, & schedule.
3) Allow/plan regular hedonic deviations from the routine.
Bonus: don’t let magic diet claims in various media distract you.
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This just in: dietary carbohydrate is a drug because of these 3 criteria.
@TheAlanAragon
Alan - let's consider dietary carbohydrate:
1. It is non-essential to survival.
2. In excess, it causes damage.
3. Their use is often for pleasure, its overuse is addictive, and stimulates more usage, not less.
That's a DRUG, buddy.
Ballgame is closer than you want to admit.
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Anyone remember
@BradSchoenfeld
's iconic 2010 paper titled, "The Mechanisms of Muscle Hypertrophy and Their Application to Resistance Training"? Well, this is the updated version:
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"Nevertheless, vegetarian and vegan diets, especially the latter, may be deficient in B12, creatine, & omega-3 fatty acids. Deficiencies of these nutrients have been associated w/neurodegenerative disease, cognitive impairment, & poor mental health."
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I had the privilege of being a reviewer for this massive series on keto. Here's part 1, Cheers to the whole team.
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“The current literature does not support the notion that dietary cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease in a healthy individuals. However, there is an ample evidence that saturated fatty acids and trans-fats increase cardiovascular disease risk.
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I used to not like Twitter that much because I saw it as a haven for keyboard warriors to take cheap shots at each other. However, the friends I’ve gained here over the past year have made it a great experience. Thank you all very much for your good will & productive discourse.
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For health…
Matters a lot: total kcal & essential macro- & micronutrition, eating mostly whole/minimally refined foods, phys activity
Matters a little: omega-3:6 ratio, protein dosing pattern
Matters negligibly: length & timing of feeding window, organic vs conventional food
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Is muscle gain possible on keto? Yes.
Are there jacked folks on keto? Yes.
However, is muscle gain *maximized* on keto? No. It limits training capacity, lowers glycogen levels, and can suppress appetite.
So, for the specific goal of maximizing muscle gain, is keto the way? No.
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Freshly published paper on protein feeding distribution and muscle growth, big props to my co-author
@BradSchoenfeld
:
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Excellent work by
@BioLayne
here. Thorough & fair, illuminating the James Wilks' style-over-subtance & appeal-to-authority-laden approach vs Chris Kresser (who won on content but lost on delivery).
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This is gonna be entertaining as hell. :)...
@kevinnbass
@DrAndyGalpin
has also been on, and he similarly promotes a balanced diet and not a one diet fits all approach.
@BioLayne
has agreed to come on and refute what he believes is incorrect information and I’m searching for someone to oppose him.
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Caloric restriction can extend lifespan in humans by mitigating pathologies of excess fat gain. Those who are already lean need to focus on favorable body comp & functional capacity (which may include increasing muscle mass & strength). Longevity is not simply about eating less.
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Too much body fat is bad. Too little is also bad. Yet, we fitness industry pros & patrons are conditioned to take the “less is better” goal of body fat to extremes.
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You don't have to be a scientist in order to have a scientific mindset. Simply adopting the habit of asking, "why," "how," and "what's the evidence" upon hearing an interesting claim will put you in the same realm of inquiry where scientists do the dirty work to find things out.
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For the goal of health & weight control, breakfast is not the most important meal of the day. Dinner is not the most important meal of the day, neither is lunch. The concept that one of your day’s meals (or the placement of it) can make or break your health/body comp is nonsense.
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I’m extremely stoked to announce that my new e-book is available! My aim is to provide an authoritative, highly focused, science-based, time-saving resource that concisely answers the most frequently asked protein questions (book is free to AARR subbers):
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Get up & move, most days a week. Doesn't matter if it's dancing, hiking, playing ball, strolling the neighborhood, do what you enjoy. Rotate different activities if you get bored easily. Can't find time? Walk or pace while you blabber on the phone. Movement is good medicine.
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@SoSBega
@BJSM_BMJ
@ProfTimNoakes
@DrAseemMalhotra
@PeterBrukner
@DrSarahHallberg
@zoeharcombe
@BioLayne
@JoseAntonioPhD
@Jeukendrup
@YLMSportScience
@Scienceofsport
@stevemagness
@NanciGuestRD
@GregNuckols
@Examinecom
@insidePN
@laurathomasphd
I'm still stunned that the Editor in Chief of the British Journal of Sports Medicine is essentially representing the publication as one that endorses zealotry instead of science.
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Steps to long-term dietary adherence:
1) Eat foods you personally enjoy, don’t force what you dislike.
2) Eat enough to support your physical activity & body comp goals.
3) Don’t chase dietary perfection; it doesn’t exist.
4) Ignore claims that one diet type is best for all.
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Ironically, in the quest to improve our diets to lose weight and improve our bodies, most people only lose their minds.
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Need a fun Monday afternoon read? How about the inaugural ISSN Position Stand on Diets & Body Composition, published just under a year ago, in free full-text. Everything from low-fat to ketogenic diets (& more) is discussed in-depth. Enjoy the romp!!!
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Scientific research is human-run, and thus is not completely free of error & bias. However, despite its imperfections, the weight of the research evidence is still a better road to the truth than hearsay, dogma, and supposedly authoritative opinions.
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Realistic rates of muscle gain in adults: 1-2 lbs (~0.5-1.0 kg)/month in their 1st year of training, in a best-case scenario. Gains decrease as training status increases. More advanced trainees near their potential can expect ~1/2 this rate of gain. Better stock up on patience.
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Keto (& all other diets) cause weight loss by imposing hypocaloric conditions. The interaction of genetics & environment (including psychology & hormones) can influence the road to the gate, but the net balance of calories in vs calories out is still the ultimate gatekeeper.
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Guru:
“Calories are a myth and a lie.”
Also, Guru:
“To lose weight, avoid anything with calories during your intermittent fasts.”
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Diet breaks are analogous to training deloads or time off. The importance of these tools directly correlates with the severity of the program. Although they share both functions, diet breaks primarily alleviate psychological fatigue, while deloads mainly manage physical fatigue.
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