“Hey, Gabriel. . .  Can you help me get in shape?  I want to tone up for summer; I don’t want to count calories though.”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that, or some variation of it.  Everyone wants to get the “beach body,” or “tighten up,” but no one wants to put in the proper work.  Here are a few things to keep in mind about getting in shape:  “You can’t out train a bad diet.”  And of course, “Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym.”  And let’s not forget the very true, “A good physique is 80% diet, and 20% training.”

I have had countless people ask, “What’s a good workout to get abs,” but when I tell them they can get a six pack by going to the gym once a week and changing their lifestyle, suddenly they lose interest.  Why is that?  Convenience.  Nobody wants to count calories, but everyone should be counting–  And here’s the important thing to note:  Not only do you need to count calories if you want to lose fat. . .  You need to count calories if you want to gain muscle, and also if you want to just maintain.

What!?  Why is that!?  Counting calories is annoying!?  First, let’s look at it in terms of fat loss:  How do we lose weight?  We figure out our Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE, or “Maintenance”) and eat less calories than we that.  If you’re not counting, how do you know how many calories below maintenance you’re eating?  Are you eating below maintenance at all?

Of course, then comes: “Can’t I just do more cardio!?”  No.  Look above:  “You can’t out train a bad diet.”  If your TDEE is 2000 calories, and you eat 3000 a day, that means that you would have to train long enough to burn 1000 calories.  The more you train, the more you consume, unless you have unbelievable self control, in which case, why aren’t you just counting calories?  Let’s take it a step further, though.  If you’re consistently eating far below your maintenance (Whether intentionally or otherwise), or if you do “Chronic Cardio,” you’re eventually going to run into metabolic problems.  First, your body is going to start feeding on your muscle mass because it takes more energy to maintain than body fat–  In times of “starvation” (Which your body thinks you’re in), this is an efficient way for your body to lower your energy requirements to help you “survive.”  You will slowly become skinny fat, losing strength and definition, and it won’t stop there.  Next, you will run into hypothyroidism and decreased leptin levels, which will stop fat loss from occurring, and will even inhibit weight loss all together.  So at this point, you hit a plateau, and conventional logic says to workout harder if you want to lose more weight.  But that just further damages the little muscle mass you have left, and further damages your metabolism.  It’s a vicious cycle.  In that case, the proper thing to do is eat at maintenance and do no activity to repair your metabolism;  Of course, you would never run into that if you count your calories and diet responsibly.

Side note:  Want to do something frightening and eye opening?  Estimate how many calories are in foods you know nothing about, and then look up the calorie count–  Everyone grossly underestimates energy content in food.  Worse than that, the amount of calories in alcoholic beverages, and caloric drinks in general is even crazier!  This is the chink in the armor of most people’s diets–  They rely on their own estimates for calories.  (Fun fact:  Popular drinks like Long Island Iced Teas, Margaritas and Pina Coladas typically have more than 700 calories per drink.  We won’t go into what happens when you consume alcohol–  We already wrote about that.)

Pictured: Almost 900 calories.

I digress. . .

So what about if you want to gain weight?  Well, if you’re not counting your calories, how do you know if you’re eating enough to gain weight?  You have to eat above your TDEE in order to gain weight;  In the same vein, though, what sort of weight do you want to gain?  When people refer to “weight gain,” they really mean “muscle gain.”  Well, to gain muscle mass, you need to eat between 10% above your TDEE, and 500 calories above your TDEE–  Anything more than that and the ratio of fat gain to muscle gain goes up.

Aw man!  So much work!  What if I just want to stay the same?  You still need to count calories.  Let’s say your TDEE is 2000 calories, but you’re only eating 1200 calories a day on average. . .  What will happen?  The same thing that will happen if you’re a chronic dieter and consistently eating a severely low amount of calories.  (See above.)

So, at the end of the day, unless you absolutely don’t care about muscle mass, aesthetics, strength, body composition, and / or a healthy metabolism, you need to count your calories.  Counting calories is not that difficult once you get the hang of it, and is absolutely imperative for your goals.

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Nutrition Myth by DeVinePhysiques
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I don’t spend a lot of time on Pinterest, but I know Alissa does, and we often have a big laugh when she’s on the health and / or fitness boards.  The amount of misinformation that gets disseminated there is astounding.  It would take me a few years to refute all of the incorrect “pins,” and that’s time I just don’t have.

I do have time to take care of one right now, though. . .  This is one of the most ridiculous pins I’ve heard, and one of the most absurd claims I’ve ever heard.  I wanted to go over this one in particular because it completely disregards science, and tries to give the middle finger to how our bodies work.

Have you heard the one about how taking Honey and Cinnamon together will make you lose weight?  Here’s the claim:

“Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast and on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. When taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.”

Pictured: The alleged solution for the obesity epidemic.

This is ridiculous.  First off, there is no food that will “not allow the fat to accumulate” on the body.  Fat doesn’t accumulate–  Fat is stored.  You have an amount of fat cells in your body, and if you gain weight / fat, those fat cells fill with oil.  If you lose weight, those fat cells don’t go away. . .  They simply release and oxidize that oil.  The person that came up with this outrageous claim probably believes that eating fatty foods will lead to fat gain because fat will “accumulate” in your body, but that is a myth as well.

Weight gain and weight loss in normal, healthy individuals is a simple numbers game.  Your body expends a certain amount of energy throughout the day–  If you eat more energy (Fun fact: A calorie is a unit of energy) than you expend, you will gain weight;  If you eat less energy than you expend, you will lose weight.  If we don’t account for body types and depressed metabolisms (from Chronic Dieting), it is that simple.  So the claim that it will reduce weight even when eating a high calorie diet?  Wrong.

Also, “it reduces the weight of even the most obese person.”  What!?  So they’re claiming that this is a thermogenic (fat burning) food?  What’s interesting is that honey is comprised of 100% carbs;  Carbs are the least thermogenic of the macro nutrients.  Ridiculous.  For the record, protein is generally accepted as the most thermogenic food (Though some studies claim fat is); The one consistency to all of these studies is that carbs come in last.

So what will happen if you eat that concoction twice a day?  Nothing.  You will eat honey and cinnamon, which is more calories than you (probably) would have eaten otherwise.  If anything, if you don’t put a lot of cinnamon in this (as cinnamon can help control blood sugar), you will make your body fattier as you may be spiking your blood sugar and forcing an insulin response multiple times per day.  (Honey has a very high glycemic load;  I eat honey only when I want to spike my blood sugar.)

“But Gabriel, how do you explain my mailman’s dog’s best friend who lost weight with this LOL?”  Easy.  They made a lifestyle adjustment separate from the honey cinnamon that helped them to lose weight.  (I crafted that hypothetical rebuttal myself–  I haven’t heard of anyone even doing this.)

If anything claims you will lose weight with no effort, it lies;  If anything claims that it will drastically cut the time it takes to achieve your goals, it’s probably not going to.  If you chase after fad diets and crazy concoctions, the amount of time you spend on all of that could have been used simply changing your lifestyle, and then you would see real results.

It’s worth noting that there are many other (claimed) benefits of a Cinnamon Honey concoction–  I’m not addressing a single one of those. . .  Just the incorrect claim that it can help you lose weight.

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Nutrition Myth by DeVinePhysiques
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The post about our HIIT cardio routine will come next week. . .  For now, we had to debunk an article!

On Facebook, people post a lot of links to articles and tips for health, “weight loss,” and nutrition;  Often times there are quality articles out there, but it seems like almost as often, there are articles posted that are misleading, incorrect, or have their hearts in the right place but don’t understand science.

Case in point, this article.

Now, I admire that they’re trying to give lifestyle advice to people seeking it, but there are a lot of tidbits of information here that are just plain wrong–  You can’t completely fault them, though.  A lot of what they write are recycled health and nutrition myths that almost everyone believes.  (Before I was enlightened, I believed them too.  Honest mistake!)

Error #1:  Fat is the only result of excessive calories.  Let’s start with their explanation of what a calorie is.  They very correctly state that it’s a unit of energy, but then they go on to say that if your body doesn’t use it for energy, it will store it as fat.  What about eating an excess of calories after hypertrophy (weight training to failure) training?  The result of that “unused energy” is muscle tissue.  Perhaps they’ll argue that you’re “using” that energy, but if the author tried to claim this, then they would not be able to claim their “Calorie neutral” stance.  What’s that?

Error #2:  “Practice being ‘calorie neutral. . .'”  They explain that this means you should burn the calories you consume before eating more.  Their logic states that, they’re pretty sure your 400 calories breakfast will be burned off by the time you eat again.  What if you eat a lot of fat, which takes hours to completely metabolize?  I know I’m being picky here, but seriously, a beginner error (that I even I made) is treating all calories equal, when you must take macro nutrients into account–  All calories are different.  (To relate to the muscle building rhetorical claim from error #1, if you’re “calorie neutral,” then you can’t eat enough to gain muscle, ever.)

Error #3:  Nutrient timing is too real!  Be afraid of dinner!  Wrong.  A common beginner error is to believe that you shouldn’t eat after 6 or 7 PM, and more importantly, you shouldn’t eat carbs.  This is an old wives tale, and I really wish this thinking would go away.  To quote the article:  “Now, if you eat a 1,000 calorie dinner, I can guarantee you that, unless you will be sprinting for the next 2 hours afterwards, you’ll store these calories as fat to be used later. It doesn’t matter if you eat carbohydrates, fat, or protein, if you’re body doesn’t use it, it’ll store it as fat.”  At the end of the day, the only way you’ll store those calories as fat is if you ate above your TDEE  (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) throughout the day.  If your TDEE is 2000 calories, and you end the day at 1600 calories, with 1000 of those eaten during dinner, the result is the same as if you ate 4 meals at 400 calories each–  You will lose weight as you will be in a caloric deficit.

Notice I said “weight” and not “fat.”  They also incorrectly state that the macros don’t matter for fat storage (and thus, body composition).  Well, it does if you’re eating above or below your TDEE.  Fat and Protein won’t directly contribute to fat gain, whereas carbs can have a direct effect on your Adipose Body Mass / ABM  (read: Body Fat).  Again–  Not all calories are created equal.  Graduate past this!

On top of all of that, I would argue, as would others, that you should only eat carbs at night.  Thus far I have seen fantastic results by isolating carbohydrate intake to late in the day, after weight training.

Error #4:  Eating breakfast kick starts your metabolism!  This is something that, I’m pretty sure at one point we advocated, but is now in the myth column as far as nutritional research is concerned.  Your body does not need you to “kick start” your metabolism by eating–  If you’re healthy and have a healthy metabolism, your body will burn calories just as it should regardless.  Admittedly, they claim in the article that you’ll burn them at a “normal” rate instead of an accelerated rate, however, the amount of calories you would burn by “kick starting” your metabolism are negligible.  (Also, there are great benefits to skipping breakfast)  If there’s any adjustment to be made to breakfast, it’s to avoid carbs at all costs.  Carbs in the morning can trigger an insulin response, which can promote fat storage and can start the blood sugar roller coaster early.  (We reiterate this in the next point.)

Error #5:  If you skip breakfast, you’ll be so ravenous that you will eat junk food!  Well, that really boils down to self control, and whether or not you have it.  It’s also worth noting that if you eat your carbs for breakfast, you will have a carbocrash earlier, which could lead to making you ravenous.  Instead, if you use Intermittent Fasting to push your breakfast later, or stick to low to no carbs, you won’t run into that problem.

No hunger, and no carbocrash if you control your carbs. (Image stolen from getslimshop.com)

At the end of the day, if this advice is helping you to lose weight, keep on keeping on–  Just understand that the advice given in this article is flawed, and eventually, your goals will likely need to expand outside of the myths.

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Nutrition Myth by DeVinePhysiques
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The title of this post may seem counter intuitive to what you’ve heard, but most of what you’re told is actually wrong when it comes to dietary fat.  It’s worth noting that we’ve been planning on writing this article for sometime, but what made it a reality was this article, which we will refute at the end of this post.

Let’s start with what Dietary Fat is.  Fat is a high energy (Meaning high calorie) macro nutrient that is essential for proper body development and functioning.  In terms of energy content, the other two macro nutrients (Carbohydrates and Protein) offer 4 calories per gram, whereas Dietary Fat is 9 calories per gram;  This means that foods higher in dietary fat typically have a higher calorie count.  Dietary fat is also where you get your “EFAs,” or Essential Fatty Acids from.  (Remember, an “Essential Nutrient” is one that your body can’t manufacture on it’s own but needs to function)  Dietary Fats are often divided into two categories depending on their state at room temperature:  Fats that are a liquid form at room temperature are often referred to as “oils,” whereas fats in solid form at room temperature are usually referred to as “fats.”  Further, fats are also separated into camps based on their source:  Animal fats (Fish oil, butter, milk, etc.) or plant based fats. (Peanut butter, nuts, avocado, etc.)  Fats can further be broken down into Unsaturated, Saturated, and Trans fats, which we’ll discuss briefly toward the end.

So why do I need dietary fat?  Well, to start, “Vitamins A, D, E, and K are all fat-soluble, meaning they can only be digested, absorbed, and transported in conjunction with fats.”  While you may get those vitamins from sources without fat (such as a multivitamin), your body needs dietary fat to put them to use.  Dietary fat also helps maintain balanced hormone levels, and in absence can lead to decreased testosterone levels.  (Take note!  You need testosterone to build and maintain muscle.)  Dietary fat is very slowly absorbed in your body, which helps keep you feeling full longer, and brings down the glycemic load of accompanying foods since they can’t be easily turned into glucose in your body in the presence of fat.  Dietary fat also helps to maintain healthy skin and hair, promotes healthy cell function, and is (of course) the source of essential fatty acids, which your body needs to function properly.  There are many other benefits that have been discovered in other studies, but the aforementioned are all concrete.

Important note for some:  If you’re on a low carb (or no carb) diet, Dietary Fat is essential, as this will be your fuel source when your body enters ketosis.  This is why all ketogenic diets are high fat diets.

So really, eating really low fat is dangerous for you.

I was told that I should eat a low fat diet–  Why are you telling me I need dietary fat?  If you notice, throughout the course of this article, I try to always refer to fat as “dietary fat,” and it’s because there needs to be a distinction.  At some point, someone looked at the word “fat” on a nutrition label and decided that must be what makes people fat, when really, the opposite is true.  At the end of the day, weight gain is dictated by simple math–  If you eat more calories than you burn, your body will increase in weight;  Fat intake has nothing to do with gaining fat.  There is a macro nutrient responsible for fat gain specifically, and it’s not fat;  Carbohydrates, specifically simple carbs, or high GI carbs, will cause a spike in blood sugar, which will produce an insulin response, which will thus lead to fat storage.  When it comes down to it, if you’re trying to lose weight, it’s better to eat a low carb diet, as carbs are specifically responsible for gaining fat.  (Or you can go full on ketogenic with carb cycling, which will actually make your body burn dietary fat, and body fat, for fuel.)

Fat has a bad reputation simply because of the name.

Many nutritionists agree that peanut butter will cause World War III

When it comes down to it, the only fats you should completely avoid are trans fats.  Unsaturated Fats (both “Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated) are great for you, and Saturated Fats are in a weird limbo right now–  For a long time it’s been thought that they’re bad for you, only to be consumed in moderation, but recent research has shown that the adverse effects of saturated fats are only of danger in extremely overweight / obese people, if at all.  (My thoughts on saturated fats:  I would advise everyone to make their own decisions based on their own research.  I don’t eat any of the biggest offender foods, so I don’t stress about it too much.  Big offenders:  Cheese, Milk, Ice Cream, Butter.)

So, about that article I mentioned in the opening. . .  Their claim is that to lose weight, just cut the fat out of your day.  What they see is a correlation between weight loss and food substitution–  The people who ate diets with dietary fat were over eating, plain and simple.  The people who ate lower fat diets, or substituted fats for carbs were eating below their TDEE, which would lead to weight loss no matter the macro nutrient breakdown.  The problem isn’t the dietary fat–  It’s how many calories they were consuming, and while it’s true that simple substitution can put you on the road toward a possibly “healthier” and thinner you, remember:  First and foremost, one must concern themselves with how many calories they’re consuming in a day.  In the end, we’ll leave you with this quote from the Harvard School of Public Health: “Detailed research—much of it done at Harvard—shows that the total amount of fat in the diet isn’t really linked with weight or disease.“

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Nutrition Myth by DeVinePhysiques
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We’ve done a few vlogs before, but this is our first joint vlog.  Enjoy!  (And be sure to watch it all the way through!)

Remember, treat people how you would love to be treated in return, and respect lifestyle choices!

And on a technical note, we’re sorry about the lighting.  We swear we really are semi-professional filmmakers!

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Nutrition Myth by DeVinePhysiques
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Every so often, I read an article, or see a post somewhere with information that is either wrong, misleading, or entirely dependent on your goals.  Alissa and I constantly have to preface statements and new ideas with “For my goals,” because all of us want to achieve something different.  I’m looking to get to a certain level of muscularity, and plan to maintain 7 – 8% body fat.  In stark contrast, Alissa is also looking for a level of muscularity (significantly less than mine, which makes good sense), and is looking to maintain 18% body fat.  So, because of this, even though we workout together, and cook together, almost everything about our programs is different.  This is important, because a lot of the time, you will read “tips” or “guides,” they usually don’t define who the tips are for.  So, here’s a breakdown, and my thoughts, on an article I read called “10 Rules of Good Nutrition.”

Rule #1: Never Skip Breakfast.  We actually firmly believed in this idea until we discovered carbohydrate backloading.  In the plan, John Kiefer recommends either a late breakfast, or skipping it all together.  (Mostly relevant if you eat carbs for breakfast)  He’s not just throwing that out there for the sake of saying so, though. . .  Based on what your body is doing hormonally (Specifically in regard to Cortisol), your body is actually primed to burn body fat for fuel in the morning, and eating will reverse this.  The alternative:  Eat a breakfast with no carbs–  Carbs will reverse the fat burning state, protein and fats won’t;  Also, carbs will likely produce an insulin response, which will prime your body for fat storage all day.

New slogan: “The breakfast for fat storage!”

Rule #2:  Eat Every 3 to 4 Hours!  Yeah, we eat every two, and I fully support this.  Not only does it keep you full throughout the day, but it does keep your metabolism chugging along–  Just be careful.  If every 2 – 3 hours you’re having high GI carbs, you will be priming your body for fat storage all day, giving your body no choice but to eat muscle for fuel.  Choose low GI carbs, nuts, proteins, etc.

Rule #3: Always Eat a Carbohydrate with a Protein!  I agree with this–  I never recommend eating carbs alone.  If you group carbs with fats or proteins, it lessens the effects, if any, the meal will have on blood sugar, thus preventing an insulin response.  Here is a part I don’t agree with, though:  They point out that the RDA for woman under 140 lbs. is 50g of protein.  Our current macro nutrient RDAs are severely messed up, and are not optimal for healthy, fit bodies.  I recommend everyone eat at least one gram of protein per pound of lean body mass, as this is an accepted standard in bodybuilding.  (For the record, there are numerous studies that have been done regarding protein intake, and we plan on doing an entire post on the subject.  For now, I would point you to a very credible 2011 study that says .82g / lb. body weight)

Rule #4:  Double Your Fiber!  Do it!  Fiber is great for your digestive system, and because of how your body digests fiber, it doesn’t count toward your net carbs for the day.  Plus, fiber comes from great sources, like Almonds / Nuts, Vegetables, Whole Grains, etc.  For the record, the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance / Intake) is between 25g and 35g of fiber a day, and I highly recommend having at least 20g.

Rule #5:  Trim the Fat From Your Diet!  This, I don’t agree with.  Fat, as a macro nutrient, has a bad reputation for no reason.  A lot of people think, “A low fat diet means I won’t gain fat!”  Well, that’s 100% wrong.  Carbohydrates are the macro nutrient most responsible for fat storage;  And on top of that, low fat alternatives to typically have high fat foods often have an insane amount of added sugar.  A great example?  Look at low fat peanut butter.

What’s supposed to be a decent protein source that keeps you full and has a glycemic load of zero can now affect your blood sugar and make you hungrier. Great job!  (For those who don’t have the nutrition facts memorized, sugar free peanut butter has half of the calories, twice as many carbs, and half the protein.  The fat content is lower, though.

That stuff is terrible for you, and at the end of the day, the increase in sugar consumption will lead to fat gain over consumption of dietary fat.  Plus, because fat takes a while for your body to digest, you can effectively make something that’s High GI have less of an impact on blood sugar. . . On top of all of that, if your Carb Backloading, Carb Cycling, or doing Carb Nite, you’re converting your body’s energy source to dietary and body fat.

Just limit your trans fat and saturated fat intake–  Unsaturated fats are good, while saturated fat needs to be limited.  (As a side note, though, higher fat foods typically have more calories, so you do need to be careful with fat consumption.)

Rule #6:  Eat Your Vegetables!  Seriously.  Eat as many as you can.  Most cruciferous vegetables (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, etc.) have great cortisol blocking properties, too.  (Cortisol, a stress hormone, can promote fat storage and prevent your body from oxidizing fat for fuel.)

Rule #7: Get Your Vitamins and Minerals from Food, not Pills!  No way.  This is something I can’t agree with at all.  I wish I still had the source, but I once read that only 10% of the world population gets all of their micro nutrients from food sources.  Here’s my stance:  A good multivitamin is a supplement;  A supplement is meant to supplement a healthy diet with the micro nutrients that may be lacking.  Of course you should try and eat as healthy as possible, consume as many micro nutrients through food as possible, but you should always take a good multi too.  (I do realize that the author of the article admits to using a multi, and even recommends one, but I can’t agree with the way the “Rule” is stated.)

Rule #8:  Drink 8 – 10 Glasses of Water a Day!  Yes.  Drink more, even.

Rule #9:  Consume Minimum Amounts of Sugar, Salt, Caffeine, and Alcohol!  I agree with all three of this, except for the Caffeine, and I’ll be honest, this is purely subjective.  Every month, another study comes out either for, or against coffee consumption;  At the end of the day, I love coffee, and you will have to make up your own mind about it.  Caffeine, as a stimulant, is also a great metabolism booster, and can be found in many other sources outside of coffee, like green tea, a popular “Weight loss” supplement.  As far as limiting Sugar and Alcohol, these are topics we’ve definitely discussed here before;  Salt is something else to watch, as high sodium intake with a sedentary lifestyle can lead to high blood pressure.  (It’s worth noting that a lot of different factors go into this, though.)

Rule #10:  Never go on a Fad Diet!  I 100% agree, and I agree with the reason listed:  Fad diets give you a finish line, when health and nutrition are, and should always remain lifelong lifestyle choices.  We even wrote a post about it.

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Nutrition Myth by DeVinePhysiques
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“Don’t give in to peer pressure.”

I’m sure we have all heard about peer pressure growing up, but the secret that adults never tell you is that peer pressure exists in adulthood too.  Being healthy, or attaining the physique you want can be a very demanding task that requires an immense amount of self discipline.  To take the time to plan out your food every day, keeping your calories within the range that you need for your goals, and keeping your macronutrient ratios in the optimal ranges;  To spend all of the time at the gym required to build (or maintain) muscle and cut away fat;  To spend all of the time reading and doing research to find a health and nutrition plan that works for you, not to mention all of the experimenting with plans and the months that could go into that–  All of this, and more, is necessary to achieve your goals.

Yet, some people will try and derail your progress for whatever reason they see fit, and to that I must remind you to not give in to peer pressure.

“You said you did weight training earlier– Now you need carbs!”

A lot of hard work can go to waste over giving in, but if you can maintain the same level of self discipline, you will never set yourself back.

Plus, the option exists to plan your workouts and meals around those who may influence you.  This past weekend we were visiting family, and I knew we would be going out for dinner one night.  So earlier in the week, while planning my workouts, I planned to do weights before that dinner so I could eat whatever I wanted, as I’m “Carb Backloading.”

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Nutrition Myth by DeVinePhysiques
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Are you someone who checks the packaging of an item to see if there is gluten in what you’re eating?  If so, why are you checking?  Let’s say you’re not one of these people that checks. . .  Do you know people who do?

These logos are popping up everywhere, and it’s not necessary. . .

Lately, a lot of people have been preaching about gluten free foods, but most people don’t understand why this is rather silly.  Gluten is not your enemy–  When it comes down to it, the only thing that should be your enemy is sugar unless you are actually allergic to gluten or have Celiac Disease.  I digress. . .

To put it very simply, gluten is a protein composite derived from grain and grain products.  It’s found in foods containing those ingredients, and is also used as a supplemental source of protein in some foods.  The only people that need to watch their gluten intake are those who suffer from Celiac Disease, a digestive tract autoimmune disease;  The only treatment for Celiac Disease is a lifelong gluten free diet–  And if you suffer from Celiac Disease, go ahead and skip this post.

So, how common is Celiac Disease?  It affects between 0.5% and 1% of the American population, and experts say that there are similar rates worldwide.  For us in the U.S., that means there are 3 million people nationwide that suffer from this.

So, if this disease is so rare, why do people think that gluten is their enemy?  I can’t figure it out when the movement started, honestly, but people do it as a way to be “healthier” and to “lose weight.”  This movement has gained fuel from celebrity endorsement and food packaging, which helps people believe they should choose gluten free foods.

So if celebrities say it helps them, and food packages tout “Gluten Free,” then it has to be healthier, right?  Wrong.  The fact remains that any food that normally has gluten, but has had it replaced with something is less healthy.  The reason for that?  Typically speaking, these foods have fewer calories, but that gluten was replaced by sugar, which raises your blood sugar.  As we’ve discussed countless times here, raising your blood sugar leads to an insulin response from your body, which leads to fat storage.  So even if all you care about is calories, the weight you lose will be muscle–  You won’t appear any more “toned.”

EDIT:  A reader pointed out that it is entirely possible for sausage and fruit gummies to contain gluten, so we’ve removed this section.

Do what is healthy for you and your body–  Don’t fall into a fad that will actually harm your results.

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Nutrition Myth by DeVinePhysiques
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Have you ever thought of your body as a machine?  Have you ever thought about your body as a car?

I hope this is not you.

I’m a big fan of the car analogies with our body, so let’s just imagine that your body is a car;  But not just any car.  Your body is a race car.

Yeah. That about sums up my body.

Now, what do you think food is?  Alissa and I are often told that we focus too much energy on what we eat, but I usually tell people that we focus the right amount on what we eat.  When a race team is filling up the tank before a race, are they just throwing any fuel in there?  When they’re building that racing engine, do they throw cheap 30W oil into the motor, or do they carefully build the engine to use the best quality racing oil to keep it lubricated?

The disadvantage we have, is that we only have one shot to use the best fuel possible–  If a race team doesn’t know what they’re doing and blow a motor, they can get a new motor. . .  What do you do when you don’t use the best fuel possible and your “race car” breaks down?

Too often, people focus on what is pleasing to the taste buds, but don’t realize that what goes into your mouth is the fuel for your body.  If you give it poor fuel, you will get poor performance as an outcome.  Would you ever put 87 octane “regular gas” in your race car?

Sorry McDonalds, it’s not just you. . . It’s all fast food.

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Nutrition Myth by DeVinePhysiques
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“Your body can only digest 30 grams of protein.”

How many times have you heard this?  Better yet, how many times have you said this to someone?  Now the interesting thing is how often it changes;  I’ve heard that you can only process 30 grams per day–  More often, though, it’s 30 grams at one time.

So, where did this thought come from?  No one knows, and when you ask someone for evidence to support this, everyone will point to something that a bodybuilder said, or that a mesomorphic gym rat said.  The simple truth is. . .   This is completely untrue, and has led to people not getting enough protein.  So, where does this idea stem from?

My guess would be it comes from how much protein is needed to boost amino acid levels in the blood to kick start muscle building.  30 grams is all that’s needed, and by having more, you can’t increase the efficiency of muscle building.  At some point, I’m sure someone was trying to convey this to someone who was consuming an obscene amount of protein post workout, and since no one would listen, they decided to add some invalid arguments that somehow stuck.

Is that how this myth came to be?  Who knows, but I can speculate.  Either way, this is one of the most widespread myths in health and fitness;  Don’t listen to me though.  You can read countless essays and articles from Dr. Mike Roussell, who got his Ph.D. in Nutrition from Penn State University.  In one such article that discusses amino acid levels in blood for muscle building, Mike says:

“For whatever reason, people have long assumed that you can only digest 30 grams of protein at a time. Perhaps people thought our intestines contain a magical sensor that stopped absorbing protein once it registered 30 grams. Whatever the logic, your body can certainly digest much more than 30 grams of protein in one sitting.”

Think about it. . .  There are sweeteners that your body does not digest, which is why they are both zero carb and zero calorie.  If your body wouldn’t absorb the protein at a certain point, that would mean that there are less calories than you are tracking.  Today, I’m going to eat a 12 oz. chicken breast, which contains 330 calories and 75 grams of protein.  If my body could only absorb 30 grams of the protein (40% of the protein content), that would mean only 132 of those calories would count.  Another question I would ask is, there are only 3 macro nutrients that make up calories  (Unless you count alcohol, which are empty, non nutritive calories)–  If your body isn’t digesting that protein, and there are no carbohydrates nor fat in that chicken. . .  Where are those calories coming from?  Nothing?

Simply put, your body can digest all of the protein you give it, and you should never use a myth to dictate your diet.

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Nutrition Myth by DeVinePhysiques
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