Body composition, nutrition, and fitness

We live in a digital age, and in this digital age, misinformation abounds. The world of nutrition and fitness is no exception to this rule. In fact, the realm of nutrition and fitness has been filled with misinformation since long before the digital age, instead set in motion by overzealous scientists, uninformed personal trainers, muscle magazines, and word of mouth. The result is that something which should be understood as simple is instead seen by the general population as dizzyingly complex.

I’m making this thread to help people who have questions, issues, or concerns regarding diet, fitness, and body composition. I can imagine that people will wonder why I feel the need to do so and why I may feel justified in giving advice. This is my reply:

As a child, I was always overweight. I always knew it, but I only recently realized how drastically it ruined my childhood and how deeply it has affected me socially and psychologically. At age 19, I came to the sudden realization that I was obese and that I wanted to fix myself. A few months later, I stumbled upon a community that changed my life in a way that I now want to pass on to another community that played a huge role in shaping who I am intellectually.

Now, in true Alcoholics Anonymous fashion, I’ll start by admitting that, despite the success I’ve had to date, I’m not someone you might be inclined to take fitness advice from based on looks alone. I’m not a male model, I can’t move weights as heavy as those moved by professional bodybuilders, and I probably couldn’t run a 5k in any respectable time.

However, in six months I was able to healthily lose approximately 65 pounds (or ~30kg) and am still going strong. In doing so, I likely cut my body fat percentage by more than half and will continue to do so until I get those abs we all desire. After that, the sky's the limit.

Here are some photos of me from high school, back when I was around 240 lbs and somewhere in the range of 30-35% body fat:

http://i.imgur.com/31Wnkl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/POT6Xl.jpg

Those were my stats for a while, and I never really understood how bad it was, particularly because we often have a tendency to underestimate our body fat percentage. To cover it up I always wore baggy clothing and tried to downplay my weight.

After six months of dieting and weightlifting, at the time of writing this, I now weigh 182 lbs and (though unverified) likely have a body fat percentage somewhere in the mid-upper teens. This is how I look now:

http://i.imgur.com/TvGnUl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/AvbmYl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/vmmTol.jpg

With that out of the way, let me say that I’m not a believer of mere anecdotal evidence. That’s why, in addition to giving my own opinion and advice, I’ll also be citing clinical studies (primarily from National Center for Biotechnology Information) and conveying the research, opinions, and advice of experts in the field (real experts on the breaking edge of studies in nutrition, rather than the supposed experts of muscle magazines and the “pro” fitness scene) where such sources are required and relevant. Such experts will include, but are not limited to, Lyle McDonald, Alan Aragon, and Martin Berkhan.

Now, before I open the forum for input and questions, there are just a few issues I want to cover. Namely, I want to take this opportunity to talk about diet and exercise and to dispel some common, ungrounded myths.


Diet

Everything you eat has energy. Your body will break down most of the things you eat in order to use this energy. There are lots of things that determine how much energy your body needs, such as genetics and exercise. If you eat less than the amount of energy your body needs, your body will use different things already in your body to compensate for the lack of energy. If you eat more than your body needs, your body will store the excess energy in different forms.

We primarily measure the energy in our food with a unit of measure called the Calorie (note the upper case “c”). A Calorie is equivalent to 1000 calories (lowercase “c”) or, as we will sometimes write, a “kcal.”

Now, aside from vitamins and minerals (which are called micronutrients), there are three things that we look to get out of food. These are the macronutrients: fat, carbohydrates, and protein.

Fat is mainly found in things such as meat, nuts, dairy, etc. Dietary fat is not the equivalent of body fat and should not be avoided, as was once believed. Fat plays a vital role in hormone production and, for the most part, is NOT somehow more fattening than other foods. However, one gram of fat has 9 Calories, which is more than one gram of protein or of carbs (carbohydrates). In general, we strive to eat about 0.45-1 g fat/lb bodyweight in our daily diet.

Carbohydrates are found mainly in foods such as bread, pasta, fruit, and sugary things. They can be further broken down into simple and complex carbs. Sugary things and fruit fall into the simple category, and things like bread and pasta have complex carbs. The primary difference is that complex carbs burn at a slower rate, because they are gradually converted to simple carbs and then used for energy. Each gram of carbohydrates has 4 Calories. Though they often have a profound effect on one’s energy, they are technically non-essential, because other things can also be converted to energy.

Finally, protein can be found mainly in foods such as meat, fish, poultry, nuts, and dairy. Protein is broken down in the maintenance and construction of muscle. As such, protein is an important nutrient for anyone concerned with body composition. When gaining weight, it is necessary to ensure that one is capable of gaining muscle. When losing weight, it is important to retain muscle. Each gram of protein has 4 Calories, and we typically want to take in 0.5-1 g protein/lb bodyweight daily (or more for athletes). Some people argue that more is better, but it is widely agreed upon that dipping below 0.5 g/lb is not optimal. Furthermore, protein requirements go up in scenarios where individuals are either very lean or on very low-Calorie or low-carb diets.

The amount that we eat of each of the above determines how much energy our bodies have to work with. For example, a 180-pound man might need 3000 Calories a day. As such, he might want to eat 120 g fat, 300 g carbs, and 180 g protein (which would not be unusual).

120*9 + 300*4 + 180*4 = 3000

This would be a suitable daily breakdown for such a person, because it is not deficient in fat or protein. Such a person could lose weight by cutting back on their consumption or gain weight by eating more. Alternatively, exercise can also be used to burn extra Calories. A person will usually drop or gain about one pound of scale weight after burning through or storing 3500 Calories, as a general rule. Note, however, that this rule is technically flawed and should not be adhered to as if law.

Tracking your Calories is not at all necessary, but can be helpful if you need to determine what your maintenance is and to guarantee that you are getting enough protein and fat in the run of a day. Likewise, keeping track of your scale weight is not necessary but is immensely useful.


Weightlifting and its importance to body composition

One’s goal should never simply be to alter his or her weight. When we lose or gain weight over an extended period of time, it typically comes in the form of fat and muscle. Our bodies turn to our internal energy stores when we do not eat enough and increase these stores when we eat in excess. Based on external factors, they will burn or store energy in different ways.

Some people can weigh very little but still have a significant amount of fat on their bodies. Oftentimes, despite their frail physique and skinniness, anorexics actually have very high body fat percentages. This is because the formula for body fat percentage is as follows:

(Weight of fat)/(Body weight)

If someone has a significant amount of muscle on their body, they will subsequently have less fat than someone of the same weight who has less muscle. This means that you could, in theory, lose 10 lbs but actually worsen your body composition. If you lose 10 lbs of muscle, it will actually raise your body fat percentage.

With this in mind, the goal is never to gain or lose weight, but rather to lose weight while maintaining muscle or to gain weight while minimizing fat-gain. This is where weightlifting comes in. When an individual is in a Caloric deficit, their body is less likely to turn to muscle as a fuel source if the body routinely relies on said muscle to get work done. On the other end of the scale, if one is gaining weight but not using his or her muscles, then the muscles have no stimulus to grow, and weight gain will come from fat.

I cannot stress enough the importance of weightlifting (anaerobic exercise) on body composition. Aerobic activity (which works the cardiovascular system, such as running, biking, etc.) has its benefits, but it can easily be omitted. Weightlifting should never be omitted.


Dispelling common myths

The following points address widely-held beliefs regarding nutrition and exercise which are either out-dated (though still propagated), completely devoid of scientific support, or outright contrary to scientific facts and the results of current clinical research. Many of them are likely engrained deep in your psyche from years of hearing them passed on anecdotally through late-night weight-loss programs and in the lunchroom, but you need to kill them with fire. Also note that this list is not exhaustive, and we will likely stumble upon others.

• Fat is not your enemy. It does have more Calories per gram than protein or carbs, but 1000 Calories from fat is not going to put more fat on your hips than 1000 Calories from carbs.

• The number of meals you eat during a day is largely irrelevant. Eating 6-7 meals instead of 1-3 will not “stoke the metabolic fire,” as they say. The amount of energy your body spends digesting food is directly proportional to the amount of food you eat, not how you partition it. Structure your meals in a way that is convenient for you. Your metabolism does not slow down after three hours of not eating, nor does your body begin to hungrily eat away at your muscles. In fact, some studies suggest that the human body can experience periods of over fifty hours of famine before experiencing such ill effects.

• Worry about what you eat, not when you eat it. Oftentimes people will hurry after a workout to take in a source of protein and complex carbs. This is unnecessary and foolish, and it should only be done as a matter of personal preference. Unless you are fasted (that is to say, unless you haven't eaten in the past 24 hours or more), then your body will supply the necessary macronutrients from previously eaten food. Protein, carbs, and fat do not become useless the second they leave your stomach.

• Cardio (aerobic exercise) is good for you, but it is not necessary for fat loss. You can lose the same amount of fat by eating less and lifting weights as you can by doing cardio and lifting weights. I don’t discourage you from doing cardio, if your diet permits it, but don’t think that it’s mandatory.

• There is no such thing as “clean food.” When you eat something, your body does not see “clean food” or “dirty food” and respond, “Burn fat” or “Store fat” accordingly. Instead, when you eat, your body sees “macronutrients” and responds, “Do work.” People will often avoid fast food for this reason. They feel guilty if they are not eating “cleanly.” However, assuming that you are not taking in ridiculous amounts of trans fat (which is the actual unhealthy one, but don’t worry too much about it), your body does not see the difference between protein, carbs, and fat from McDonald’s and from your local grocer. Eat the food you enjoy; just do it intelligently.

• When weightlifting (not “if” weightlifting) for athletic purposes, you should be doing compound exercises which target multiple, large groups of muscles, rather than isolation exercises which only target single muscle groups. These compound exercises include squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, bench presses, power cleans, rows, and chin ups, among possible others. For safety reasons, I will not be coaching in how to do these over a forum. If you're not familiar, Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength program is a great place to start.

• You should be lifting heavy amounts of weight, so as to constantly build (or maintain, if you are losing weight) strength and muscle. This applies regardless of whether you are male or female and regardless of what your goals are. You will NOT get big or bulky like a powerlifter or bodybuilder unless you are going out of your way to eat like one. This applies doubly to women, who are often afraid of lifting heavy weights because they don’t want to “get too big.” Sorry ladies, you just don’t have the hormones for it.

With all that said, I open the floor. I look forward to hearing your input, questions, and concerns.

Vegetarian. Just saying.

I for one will vouch for everything this good man just said about food. Eat, and eat a lot if you are looking to gain weight/muscle. I went into basic training last summer at 6'1" 143 lbs. I came out at 164 lbs in 2 months and was not by any means fat. We only had about 5 minutes to eat (if that), but you bet your ass I ate as much as I could in that time. We didn't bother with forks. Spoons held more food.

And in a totally non gay way, I got to the point where I could eat a banana in just under 10 seconds.

And if you say that you eat as much as you can, but aren't gaining, then go work out more. You'll build up an appetite real quick

Originally Posted by gaba33

Vegetarian. Just saying.

I hope I didn't discriminate against or otherwise exclude vegetarians in any way. There are lots of ways for vegetarians to get the protein they need, and in fact, I know of some successful vegetarian bodybuilders. Vegans have it a little harder, but they're certainly not disqualified either.

Originally Posted by Golddron

I for one will vouch for everything this good man just said about food. Eat, and eat a lot if you are looking to gain weight/muscle. I went into basic training last summer at 6'1" 143 lbs. I came out at 164 lbs in 2 months and was not by any means fat. We only had about 5 minutes to eat (if that), but you bet your ass I ate as much as I could in that time. We didn't bother with forks. Spoons held more food.

I like that attitude, and congratulations on the gains.

And in a totally non gay way, I got to the point where I could eat a banana in just under 10 seconds.

Also very impressive. That falls more into the realm of competitive eating (in which I also dabble and which I would highly recommend), a subject for another time.

I'm actually kind of glad someone actually made a thread about this. I'm almost 14 and I'm 5'8 and 108 lb, but this is mostly because I'm a distance runner, so I usually don't give a crap about weightlifting and can't really gain muscles as quickly as most of my friends can. It's kind of annoying how I have to work my butt off for two months and can only increase my max bench press by 5 pounds when I see someone increasing their max that much in a week or two.

Originally Posted by Link9001

I'm actually kind of glad someone actually made a thread about this. I'm almost 14 and I'm 5'8 and 108 lb, but this is mostly because I'm a distance runner, so I usually don't give a crap about weightlifting and can't really gain muscles as quickly as most of my friends can. It's kind of annoying how I have to work my butt off for two months and can only increase my max bench press by 5 pounds when I see someone increasing their max that much in a week or two.

That is unfortunate, and a lot of people often report having trouble gaining weight despite their best efforts. Oftentimes people will blame genetics, assuming that they're what's called ectomorphs (those doomed to forever be small). The term "ectomorph" is an example of what's called a somatotype, but such things don't really exist as these people understand them to. Likely, such people are just small because their bodies naturally burn more weight at rest and because they exercise more. To such people struggling to gain strength and weight, I can only say, "Eat more!"

However, you should definitely be proud of any accomplishments as a distance runner. I'm insanely jealous of both sprinters and long-distance runners, as they possess cardiovascular prowess I most likely will never know.

Originally Posted by Aex

That is unfortunate, and a lot of people often report having trouble gaining weight despite their best efforts. Oftentimes people will blame genetics, assuming that they're what's called ectomorphs (those doomed to forever be small). The term "ectomorph" is an example of what's called a somatotype, but such things don't really exist as these people understand them to. Likely, such people are just small because their bodies naturally burn more weight at rest and because they exercise more. To such people struggling to gain strength and weight, I can only say, "Eat more!"

However, you should definitely be proud of any accomplishments as a distance runner. I'm insanely jealous of both sprinters and long-distance runners, as they possess cardiovascular prowess I most likely will never know.

I'm aware the somatotypes are just a theory and how metabolism can have an effect on how fast some people can gain muscle, but I will have to agree with the somatotypes to an extent since some people can gain muscle pretty quickly even with a fast metabolism.

And thanks for the comment. In the beginning of last year, I was one of the slowest guys in my Conditioning class, but I later got much faster and now I'm pretty fast compared to others. I guess this was mostly hard work and natural talent that my dad had when he was a distance runner.

@Link9001

I was always one of the skinnier guys at my school, and still am rather slender. Not sure how old you are, but you may end up bulking up as you reach you late teens without too much effort.

Originally Posted by Golddron

@Link9001

I was always one of the skinnier guys at my school, and still am rather slender. Not sure how old you are, but you may end up bulking up as you reach you late teens without too much effort.

I'm almost 14 and that's what I'm hoping for. Well, I don't want to bulk up, but I do want to gain lean muscle mass while doing distance running.

Originally Posted by Link9001

I'm almost 14 and that's what I'm hoping for. Well, I don't want to bulk up, but I do want to gain lean muscle mass while doing distance running.

Yeah, your muscles should develop further during the next 5 or so years. I did long distance running in middle school, but not high school.

Originally Posted by Link9001

I'm aware the somatotypes are just a theory and how metabolism can have an effect on how fast some people can gain muscle, but I will have to agree with the somatotypes to an extent since some people can gain muscle pretty quickly even with a fast metabolism.

And thanks for the comment. In the beginning of last year, I was one of the slowest guys in my Conditioning class, but I later got much faster and now I'm pretty fast compared to others. I guess this was mostly hard work and natural talent that my dad had when he was a distance runner.

Hey man, idk if this will help, but what works for me is not overdoing it. Muscles are built while you are resting. I usually do one muscle til I can't do anymore and that seems to build muscle fast. Though I'm so skinny I about reached my weight limit with muscle

Hope this helps!

Well back then when I went to the Community Center to weightlift, I would usually weightlift for an hour and a half and would usually give myself two days of rest.

Originally Posted by Gabachi

Though I'm so skinny I about reached my weight limit with muscle

In what sense? People are capable of building muscle for a long time before they reach any limits.

Maybe he got a boost in his metabolism and has to eat more to gain more muscle?

Originally Posted by Link9001

I'm almost 14 and that's what I'm hoping for. Well, I don't want to bulk up, but I do want to gain lean muscle mass while doing distance running.

I'm sorta the opposite- I'm 14, too (15 in March), and I'm really thinking about losing weight.

I'm about 180+ lbs and only about 5'7". Needless to say, I'm not the, er, thinnest guy around. It actually kind of makes me self conscious; my friends and family say that I don't look that fat, but I feel like a whale. I also lag behind everyone in gym, and most of the kids in my class are athletes, so that makes me very uncomfortable.

Last year I went to an after school fitness club (held at the school), and I honestly believe that for a few weeks I did lose a tiny bit of fat (I should mention that for most of the meetings we did P90X). I found an excuse to stop going though ("I can never figure out when the club is!"), so I quickly lost that progress. Fortunately, my gym teacher tells me that they're planning to start it back up this year in November; despite more homework than last year (And Skyward Sword!), I'm going to try- no, I'm going to go to the club until the end of the year.

About eating habits... I've tried to limit my junk food intake, but my parents buy a lot of it, and it's difficult to restrain myself. I've also become accustomed to eating until my stomach hurts. I'm pretty sure that that is NOT a healthy habit, so I'm going to work to eat slower. I'm not sure about the food itself; although I would like it to be healthier, my parents and I usually eat the same things and they are not interested in changing their lifestyles. (In a way, that makes it a bit difficult for me to change my lifestyle- they don't really support me in that endeavor.)

In fact, I actually would like to become an athlete- Basketball, maybe, or football. I'm hoping that something like that would motivate me to keep up a healthier lifestyle. My main hope is that being healthier and losing weight (maybe, 20lbs? I'd like to set a long-term goal for the 160-170s range, 150-160s if it's healthy) would help me feel less nervous around other people, and help me stop thinking that I'm the 'fat nerdy weird kid' of the school.




...Wait, what was I talking about? I actually forgot if I had a question Sorry for the long story, and I especially apologize if it's TMI.

Oh! My question was, how could I keep myself motivated? Even though I have those hopes, the laziness that originally got me this extra weight always wins out. Got any suggestions?

Originally Posted by Sentinel of Aether

...Wait, what was I talking about? I actually forgot if I had a question Sorry for the long story, and I especially apologize if it's TMI.

Oh! My question was, how could I keep myself motivated? Even though I have those hopes, the laziness that originally got me this extra weight always wins out. Got any suggestions?

I'm sorry I can't really relate to that, but I always felt self conscious about being so skinny if it makes you feel better

As far as keeping motivated, I honestly enjoy looking at photos of people who have great bodies. It gives you a good goal to reach. Also, weigh yourself once a week or so. If you see weight loss, it can inspire you to keep going. Angry music can pump you up to go do something too

Originally Posted by Sentinel of Aether

Oh! My question was, how could I keep myself motivated? Even though I have those hopes, the laziness that originally got me this extra weight always wins out. Got any suggestions?

One of the best ways to keep yourself motivated, in my opinion, is to track your weight. Seeing trends in the scale offers direct feedback regarding what you're doing with your diet and exercise. These numbers can then be paired with your progress as portrayed by the mirror (and even progress photos, which I highly recommend) in order to assure that you're healthily losing weight. "Healthily" here refers to losing fat, not muscle.

With regards to weighing yourself, try to always weigh yourself in the same state. This is most easily done by weighing yourself after you wake up, after having gone to the washroom and before having consumed any food or drink. This method produces the most consistent results. You can do this as frequently as you like, but the trick is to not let tiny, day-to-day fluctuations discourage you. Measure your progress in the long run, where outliers are less likely to skew your results.

Also, in regards to the rest of your post, don't worry so much about eating "healthy" foods. Chances are whatever your parents have lying around the house will be sufficient for your daily diet. Just make sure that you aren't eating too much and that you're getting enough protein and enough fat. If you haven't already done so, it might be helpful for you to read the "Diet" section of my original post, as well as the common myth about "clean" food, as reiterated below:

• There is no such thing as “clean food.” When you eat something, your body does not see “clean food” or “dirty food” and respond, “Burn fat” or “Store fat” accordingly. Instead, when you eat, your body sees “macronutrients” and responds, “Do work.” People will often avoid fast food for this reason. They feel guilty if they are not eating “cleanly.” However, assuming that you are not taking in ridiculous amounts of trans fat (which is the actual unhealthy one, but don’t worry too much about it), your body does not see the difference between protein, carbs, and fat from McDonald’s and from your local grocer. Eat the food you enjoy; just do it intelligently.

I decided to bump this thread because I thought it was interesting, but I still have a question.

How come some people can burn tons of carbs quickly?
I seem to burn carbs rather quickly which can be annoying. Today, I was going on my 4 1/2 mile run and I decided to load up on tons of carbs and 2 hours later, all my carbs were burned before I even got a chance to run!

Originally Posted by Link9001

I decided to bump this thread because I thought it was interesting, but I still have a question.

How come some people can burn tons of carbs quickly?
I seem to burn carbs rather quickly which can be annoying. Today, I was going on my 4 1/2 mile run and I decided to load up on tons of carbs and 2 hours later, all my carbs were burned before I even got a chance to run!

This doesn't have to do so much with burning carbs as it does burning glycogen stores. When your body depletes glycogen stores during exercise, this gives the feeling of being burned out, otherwise known as "hitting the wall." This differs from one person to another, and can only minimally be effected by the foods we eat, such as the types of carbs. Most of the difference comes from training the body to adapt in such a way that it uses fat more efficiently as an energy source, thus sparing glycogen to a small extent. This sort of adaptation would most prominently be found in long-distance runners and cyclists, I would imagine.

Originally Posted by Aex

This doesn't have to do so much with burning carbs as it does burning glycogen stores. When your body depletes glycogen stores during exercise, this gives the feeling of being burned out, otherwise known as "hitting the wall." This differs from one person to another, and can only minimally be effected by the foods we eat, such as the types of carbs. Most of the difference comes from training the body to adapt in such a way that it uses fat more efficiently as an energy source, thus sparing glycogen to a small extent. This sort of adaptation would most prominently be found in long-distance runners and cyclists, I would imagine.

All right, I was thinking that, but wasn't completely sure since my metabolism isn't super fast.