What bothers me about this board (lately) is the group think that goes on. I post a rather conservative statement on the topic of moderation and I get blasted. People assuming I’m an “ectomorph”…that I eat whatever the fuck I want all the time in whatever quantities I want. Then, the vindictive nature of the “lolz I love when people pick science fights with MODOK” …I’m not picking science fights with anyone. I don’t pick fights. I’m deciding to remain calm and try to explain my previous statements in hope that they will be received by you guys with some level of sanity and logic.
Firstly, I’ll address what I meant by “moderation” in the context of this topic. Perhaps I’ll explain it in terms of how I eat. That way you will understand what I mean and realize at the same time that I don’t eat poptarts for the entirety of my carbohydrate consumption. Maybe this will HELP clear up some vast misconceptions of what if it fits your macros is or flexible eating is about. There seems to be a ton of miscommunication between the camps of those who are more on the IIFYM side and those who are basically complete “bro/clean” eaters. This is how I set it up for me and how it SHOULD be set up: In terms of macronutrients…I account for protein first at around 1g of protein per lb of BW at least (this is the minimum, sometimes I exceed this)…I then account for me EFAs at around 0.45g per lb of BW at least. Now I fill in the rest of my calorie needs with carbs for the most part OR sometimes a mixture of more fat/carbs/protein depending on the day etc. But, I stay within my caloric needs for my goals…I never go under my EFA or protein needs. Even more important: I ALWAYS ACCOUNT FOR MY MICRONUTRIENTS…DAILY. I make sure on a daily basis that my micronutrients are being met through my food intake.
Looking at the above, we must realize that it would be pretty difficult for me, if not impossible, to meet my micronutrient needs by eating only cereal and protein powder. Therefore, you must deduce that a majority of my food consumption is by way of what I would consider whole food sources i.e. animal meats (lean and fatty depending on the day), copious amounts of fibrous green veg, some fruit, starch based carbohydrates such as white rice, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, oats. That makes up about 80% of my overall caloric consumption…the remainder after my needs are addressed MAY be in the form of “non-typical bodybuilding foods” i.e. poptarts etc.
If you read the above two paragraphs and still cannot see the sanity in such and what I mean by “moderation”, then I believe our differences in perception are too vast for us to ever see eye to eye on the subject. I read the above two paragraphs and see nutritional responsibility as well as a more psychologically healthy/less stressful approach to diet.
In regards to the 60 minutes special. I’m referring to the study that was MENTIONED in the program. They basically took a bunch of college kids, kept them in a hospital and controlled what they consumed over some weeks. Firstly, for a period of time they made sure there was no sugar within their diets. Then they increased sugar intake to 25% of their daily total calorie intake. Problem 1: completely sedentary. No this is not a cop out…frequent weight training and/or athletics does make a rather large difference. Problem 2: 25% of their daily totals - sugar…50% of their total carbohydrate intake -sugar. Come on…this should be completely unrealistic in regards to ANY of US on this board or involved in a bodybuilding lifestyle. This type of nutrition behavior only applies to those who don’t give 1 single FUCK about what they consume on a daily basis. This does NOT apply to us. At least it shouldn’t apply to us. I count my macros every single day to as much of an exact that I can manage in real terms, therefore I KNOW it doesn’t apply to me.
So…what does this tell me: When you are fed a STANDARD American diet and you don’t exercise/are entirely sedentary, then you are far greater risk for heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Common sense. Perhaps, you hate the term “common sense” as much as you hate the term “moderation”?
I feel that the overarching attitude amongst those within the fitness community as shifted towards or at least is nearing orthorexic eating behavior. Fervent, over-zealous opposition and irrational avoidance of certain foods as if they will immediately make you fat and kill you if they hit your lips. From my perception, this does not seem sane, nor psychologically healthy, nor logical.
