Diet

Body Recomposition Without Counting Calories?

March 14, 2011 By JC Deen 20 Comments

So you wish to alter your body composition, for the better, without counting calories?

It’s impossible, most people say. I beg to differ.

But first let me preface by saying this approach is not going to be for everyone. In fact, it’s probably not for the majority, at least not at first.

It’s something I’ve messed with on and off for the last year while hardly even realizing what I was doing.

I suppose it started last fall – I’d just moved into a new apartment right off campus. The walk to my first class took about 10 minutes and then I spent the majority of my day walking around from class to class. The only time I drove was to the grocery store or back to Nashville for the weekend.

For the first few weeks, I had to make some major adjustments to my intake. Expenditure was through the roof as I clocked some of my walking to be anywhere from 4-6 miles per day depending on how often I went back to my apartment. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Build Muscle, Diet, Motivation Tagged With: calorie counting, Muscle Building

The Twinkie Diet – A Mixed Bag

January 17, 2011 By JC Deen 20 Comments

image credit: mrwynd

The truth is out. No longer do we have to worry about food choices when dieting. It turns out the old law of thermodynamics still applies, even though we often believe ourselves to be an exception. Thusly, as a result of the Twinkie Diet performed by Mark Haub, a professor at Kansas State University, perhaps clean eating really is a scam?

Regardless of how you feel about clean eating or whatnot – it’s evident that many fitness and nutrition zealots are slightly confused and some are slightly disgruntled.

What I love so dearly about this mini-study is that Mark is an educated professional (professor of human nutrition) and for the most part, it goes against all bro logic we’re exposed to on a daily basis. Ask anyone in your local gym if a diet full of junk food could result in fat loss and most all will tell you that you can never rid yourself of adiposity by eating Twinkies and all the sugar will wreak havoc on your insulin levels.

But here’s the funny thing – hardly anyone is willing to test the waters. We’re all familiar with beliefs and how powerful they can be – especially when our emotions are involved. And this is why many are unable to make objective decisions when it comes to their weight lifting routines and fat loss diets. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Diet, Rants Tagged With: junk food, twinkie diet

Counting Calories: Your No-BS Guide

October 19, 2010 By JC Deen 19 Comments

Image Credit: CarbonNYC

The concept of calorie counting is often associated with feelings of frustration and aggravation. While many deem it a tedious task, most of the time it’s fairly necessary for those with specific fitness goals to make progress in a timely manner.

For someone who’s never counted calories before, it can be somewhat intimidating. First, many don’t realize the difference between a calorie and a gram. And then, most don’t realize a gram of fat is twice as dense as a gram of carbohydrate or protein.

We also have to consider what a serving actually is compared to monstrous portions we are accustomed to consuming and just how far off base we can be with estimating our intake.

However, the concept isn’t hard, nor does it have to be a daunting chore. While some fear they will have to count calories the rest of their life, I don’t believe this to be true for the majority. The goal of this article is to give you all the information you’ll ever need to make this process simple and effective – mainly because I want you to carry on with your life in a worry-free, non-obsessive myriad of awesomeness. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Diet Tagged With: calorie counting, calorie tracker, calories, macronutrients, micronutrients