[Fireproof]

Martin pulls no punches on busting common dieting myths with this article. Originally written a couple months ago, but recently updated, it's a must-read.

In it he busts the following myths:

1. Myth: Eat frequently to stoke the metabolic fire
2. Myth: Eat smaller meals more often for hunger control
3. Myth: Eat small meals to keep blood sugar levels under control
4. Myth: Fasting tricks the body into "starvation mode"
5. Myth: The body can only absorb 30 grams of protein in one sitting
6. Myth: Fasting causes muscle loss
7. Myth: Skipping breakfast is bad and will make you fat
8. Myth: Fasting increases cortisol
9. Myth: Fasted training sucks. You'll lose muscle and have no strength
10. Myth: "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, and dinner like a pauper"

Read his Top Ten Fasting Myths Debunked article by clicking that link!

[Double3]

I like Martin.

He has a good site over there.

[Fireproof]

Originally Posted by Double3

I like Martin.

He has a good site over there.

Yes. I've known him for a few years now and his site has been a great reference in general.

[Double3]

Originally Posted by Fireproof

Yes. I've known him for a few years now and his site has been a great reference in general.

Are you doing some sort of warrior diet/leangains fasting type deal?

I've been doing the WD for almost 2 years.

[quadancer]

Crap, I was still ascribing to a couple of those. Ya never know it all, huh?

[Fireproof]

Originally Posted by Double3

Are you doing some sort of warrior diet/leangains fasting type deal?

I've been doing the WD for almost 2 years.

My favorite, typical approach is Martin's version of IF. I basically eat between 11am and 8pm each day, and fast outside of that.

[Fireproof]

Originally Posted by quadancer

Crap, I was still ascribing to a couple of those. Ya never know it all, huh?

Ha - no worries. It is hard to know it all. But it's good to challenge conventional thinking to seek the truth. I don't have the time to do the research myself anymore, so that's why I appreciate guys like Martin Berkhan, Alan Aragon, and Lyle McDonald who approach things from a scientific perspective.

I was visiting with a friend a while ago about some of these topics and he said "but years ago when we worked together you were preaching the 'eat small meals every couple hours' approach!"

And I said: "Yep - and I was wrong. I was blind, but now I see." Nowadays I try to get challenge nutrition concepts and validate with peer-reviewed human trials, rather than relying on diet books and magazines like I did 10 years ago.

[Darkhorse]

Overall, I think for the majority of reasonably intelligent people out there, a lot of those myths would make sense. I know John Beradi was big on most of the same things Dante (DC) was - Turning the body into a "fat burning furnace" with frequent high protein meals, the need to eat every 2-3 hours on the dot, separating carbs and fats due to the insulin response, ect. I've even heard of some training tips where trainees have to keep a protein shake on their bathroom sink for when they use the bathroom late at night to minimize the catabolism while you're asleep. To Beradi's credit, he has backed off a lot of those assertions and even came out with a good fasting journal detailing his experiences (which were all extremely positive). Hell even Dante has said on a few occasions that his reasoning for separating macros wasn't so much due to the insulin response as it was just keeping things much easier to track.

If you go on T-Nation, his journal on fasting is on there. I highly recommend anyone serious about fasting go and download it. His approach to tinkering around and making adjustments is the exact same as mine. Great read.

[Fireproof]

Yep - good stuff DH. I agree.

And I'm all for "little tricks" to make things easier to track (or control calories without tracking at all) and things like that. As you said, separating macros isn't any magic fix physiologically. But if you can't eat fat and carbs together - look what happens! It eliminates most high-calorie junk food like pizza and donuts and cheeseburgers, etc. So there's benefit from that angle. As long as people don't try to position that it's "required" for fat loss or that combining fat and carbs will automatically increase fat storage, etc.

[Double3]

Originally Posted by Fireproof

My favorite, typical approach is Martin's version of IF. I basically eat between 11am and 8pm each day, and fast outside of that.

The 4 hour window of eating is just easier for me.

I like lifting fasted so it works out better there too.

[Double3]

I've followed a lot of those myths in the past and got pretty lean but fasting is 100x easier and I'm able to eat whatever and still be a lean mean machine.

When I say whatever I mean within reason. I just make sure I eat over a lb a meat and get plenty of veggies and the rest is game on in that 4 hours. My wife seems to continue to bake cookies and crap like that all the time so I tear those up on the regular.

[Fireproof]

Originally Posted by Double3

The 4 hour window of eating is just easier for me.

I like lifting fasted so it works out better there too.

4 hours sounds interesting but I think it would be tough with our family schedule.

Originally Posted by Double3

I've followed a lot of those myths in the past and got pretty lean but fasting is 100x easier and I'm able to eat whatever and still be a lean mean machine.

When I say whatever I mean within reason. I just make sure I eat over a lb a meat and get plenty of veggies and the rest is game on in that 4 hours. My wife seems to continue to bake cookies and crap like that all the time so I tear those up on the regular.

Nice!

[Darkhorse]

Originally Posted by Fireproof

It eliminates most high-calorie junk food like pizza and donuts and cheeseburgers, etc.

True, and more often than not, that's the argument the "separatists" use as proof that you need to eat either or. The one thing I cannot stand is seeing a debate turn into, "Oh, so it's fine to eat everything in a sitting? So a run to McDonalds won't make me fat?" It's like a caveman response. My response back would run, "Hmm, what do you think about a tunafish sandwich with a few slices of avocado on whole wheat bread? There's your mix of carbs and fats!" Doesn't sound so bad now does it?

What most people don't realize is that it takes the digestive system a lot longer than 2-3 hours to digest a meal. That's really the end of the discussion on P+F, P+C. If I eat some whole eggs w/ spinach for meal 2 and then 3 hours later I'm ready for my chicken breast and sweet potatoes, you're assuming it's an empty stomach which is just beyond ****ing stupid.

Honestly, any junk food is fine in moderation and as long as it fits your caloric totals. If I feel like having some pizza with the family for dinner, I plan on eliminating most of my other meals for the day. Simple as that. People get fat off of these foods because they stick to the meal plan all day, then instead of a final 350 kcal meal they eat 4-5 slices of pizza with some Dr. Pepper and call it a night.

I'm glad more people are starting to really take a hard look at the bro-logic regarding diets. I remember when I first started lifting I had to down a whey shake as soon as I woke up in the morning to start the anabolism LOL!

[Darkhorse]

Oh, and I've been skipping breakfast for almost a year now. Never felt better just drinking some black coffee to start my day.

[Double3]

Originally Posted by Darkhorse

Oh, and I've been skipping breakfast for almost a year now. Never felt better just drinking some black coffee to start my day.

That's the best.

Just wake up have a couple cups of black coffee and go.

Hell of a lot better than getting up early so you can make 10 eggs and oatmeal. lol

[Elle]

Originally Posted by Darkhorse

Oh, and I've been skipping breakfast for almost a year now. Never felt better just drinking some black coffee to start my day.

I've been waiting a couple hours before eating myself lately unless I am starved...coffee with creammmmmmmmmm.......

[Ender]

I think moderation is best. Sure, today the research proves X, but tomorrow they'll do a better study and understand it was some other factor confounding the results. Just eat when you're hungry, eat a varied diet, and don't stuff your face. If you're clothes don't fit, don't eat so damn much and move around more. If they're too lose, then eat more. Contrary to what 99.9% of the country believes, nutrition is not rocket science.