A calorie is not a calorie

[Swedeheart]

This take comes from Scivation Athlete Kurt Weidner and is his take on whether or not a calorie is a calorie..Kurt is an amazing bodybuilder and his results speak for themselves...This is what he has to say...

"If you’re serious about making progress, you want to look your best when you hit the stage, you want to optimize every workout and you want to enable maximum growth potential, THEN YOU DON”T PUT **** IN YOUR BODY!!! PERIOD!

It’s not just about numbers! It’s not just about manipulating macronutrients to allow yourself to get lean enough. When you’re only giving your body a set number of calories per day, you want to get as much bang for your buck out of every gram and ounce of food possible! Why would you cut yourself short, by allowing even a small percentage of your caloric intake to come from food that will do nothing positive for your body. During contest prep this becomes even more important! You’re restricting your caloric intake while actually increasing your activity level…you need the absolute best sources of fuel possible, because you get a very limited amount. If you own a sports car would you put low grade fuel in it? Snack food like Baked Lays is NOT OK to eat! I don’t even eat this sh*t in the off-season! It’s useless! Cheat meals and desserts just rob your body of an opportunity to grow. They clog your digestive system, not allowing for optimal assimilation of nutrients. They cause a rapid surge of insulin, leading to fat storage…even if you can undo the damage, you’re wasting time catching up instead of getting ahead! Maybe you’re one of those freaks with a metabolism that allows you to eat sh*t without getting fat…doesn’t matter, these foods are still not going to help you grow. By choosing to eat sh*t instead of nutritious, balanced meals from optimal sources, you are making a statement that you are neither serious about your health or your fitness related goals…especially if you plan on hitting the stage!!! Garbage in, Garbage out!!!

I know this post will piss some people off and frankly I don’t care. Ultimately, it’s your decision how serious you want to be about your health, fitness or competitive goals. ..But please do not tell me that you are serious about making gains with your physique, taking it to another level onstage or improving your health and fitness if you are going to put processed sh*t (this includes protein bars) in your body as part of your regular nutritional regiment.

The choice is yours! "

[coltmasterj]

I guess it's a question of whether one believes they can get where they want to go by eating processed foods. Yes. It is better to eat cleaner given the same macros because you will likely have more micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals to assist the biological reactions in the body.
However, the drawback to eating 100% clean is time. It just takes more time to shop for and prepare whole foods all the time. So, can't taking vitamins, EFA's etc. make up for the deficit created by processed foods?
I don't understand the clogging of the digestive system part by sugars and cheat meals? Heck, I eat a lot of cheese. Is that what he's talking about?

[co1e_train]

good post. im sure ir may frustrate some people but i like it because its very black and white which i appreciate b/c im similarly a black/white person. if im gonna do something im gonna do it right

[coltmasterj]

I wonder what Lee Priest would have to say about this?

[Agostage]

I understand where he's coming from - and that it makes sense that 'healthier' more natural foods are 'better', but until I see some actual evidence and legitimate studies, like anything else, I'm skeptical that it's true. Until then it's just more broscience, which great pro's are not exempt from. Like coltmasterj said - there's a trade-off associated with eating that clean both in budget and mental wellness.

With that said I will be tapering off to a 'cleaner' diet this prep and I will report how it goes for me. But I wouldn't expect anyone to believe any of my results without the same evidence I asked for.

Also, although I'm a fairly 'healthy' person - I'm not a health nut and there's a clear distinction ,to me anyway, between competitive bodybuilding and being healthy. They can co-exhist but they are mutually exclusive.

[bmontgomery87]

I've been wondering about that for a while now. I always see people like the IIFYM crew. And yeah it might not affect your diet much. But it's obviously a better choice to pick "clean" or "whole" foods over junk and fastfood. Thats a given.

[God_Given]

I learned quite a bit about this topic in the "do you like your pre-contest food" thread, there is some solid info in there

[juliacheh]

I've been wondering about that for a while now. I always see people like the IIFYM crew. And yeah it might not affect your diet much. But it's obviously a better choice to pick "clean" or "whole" foods over junk and fastfood. Thats a given.

1. Some IIFYMers don't even eat fast food.
(e.g., me)

2. Please see the first line of my signature.

3. Some people put IIFYM in their signature without understanding what it means.

[coltmasterj]

Pardon me guys and gals, but what does IIFYM mean?

[Agostage]

Pardon me guys and gals, but what does IIFYM mean?

If It Fits Your Macros

[juliacheh]

Pardon me guys and gals, but what does IIFYM mean?

Thank you, I'm getting tired of being called a bro and a dude

[coltmasterj]

Thank you, I'm getting tired of being called a bro and a dude

You're welcome, brah.

[bwelch1985]

To each his own obviously. I would much rather eat, in moderation, the processed, sugary, "unclean" foods that I enjoy, while consistently losing my 1lb per week and enjoying my prep than to be the absolute-100%-best-possible-fully-optimized-bodybuilder-I-could-ever-conceivably-be.

For f*ck sake, you can choose to make all of these sacrifices in the name of a potential 1% improvement in your appearance and still place out of the top 5 in a pro show b/c your genetics aren't on par. But even if you ARE the genetic elite, imo you'd still be sacrificing waaaaay too much of what life (specifically food) has to offer just to earn a stupid trophy and a paycheck that doesn't cover your expenses.

I'll leave the obsessive compulsive nutritional practices to the guys that obviously place 'winning a natural bodybuilding show' as a higher priority than myself. At the end of the day, you've got way too many genetic mutants out there to believe you can outwork everyone else w/ your insanely strict diet and find yourself at the top of the natural bodybuilding world. Personally, I get more satisfaction out of enjoying the process and still looking great on stage, than I would from "suffering for my art" and looking maybe slightly better.

[coltmasterj]

To each his own obviously. I would much rather eat, in moderation, the processed, sugary, "unclean" foods that I enjoy, while consistently losing my 1lb per week and enjoying my prep than to be the absolute-100%-best-possible-fully-optimized-bodybuilder-I-could-ever-conceivably-be.

For f*ck sake, you can choose to make all of these sacrifices in the name of a potential 1% improvement in your appearance and still place out of the top 5 in a pro show b/c your genetics aren't on par. But even if you ARE the genetic elite, imo you'd still be sacrificing waaaaay too much of what life (specifically food) has to offer just to earn a stupid trophy and a paycheck that doesn't cover your expenses.

I'll leave the obsessive compulsive nutritional practices to the guys that obviously place 'winning a natural bodybuilding show' as a higher priority than myself. At the end of the day, you've got way too many genetic mutants out there to believe you can outwork everyone else w/ your insanely strict diet and find yourself at the top of the natural bodybuilding world. Personally, I get more satisfaction out of enjoying the process and still looking great on stage, than I would from "suffering for my art" and looking maybe slightly better.

Good post. I was thinking too that the "potential" reward for eating cleaner may not be worth giving up on something so important to us as humans...enjoying great tasting food.
Many of us also like to be social and eat somewhere public with friends, family, or significant others. Who wants to drag them to a Whole Foods for a Friday night out on the town?

[N01SYtZ]

I've been wondering about that for a while now. I always see people like the IIFYM crew. And yeah it might not affect your diet much. But it's obviously a better choice to pick "clean" or "whole" foods over junk and fastfood. Thats a given.

IIFYM doesnt mean go out and eat fast food 3x a day. I havent had fast food in months.
I cook everything I eat, and the 'dirtiest' food I ever have is 1/2 a cup of no sugar added vanilla ice cream
macros per 1/2 cup are
3.0 fat

13.0 carb

3.0 pro

[juliacheh]

IIFYM doesnt mean go out and eat fast food 3x a day. I havent had fast food in months.

Those damned ignorant boys put it in their signature and claim they can have 5 cheeseburgers a day FTW. They give IIFYM a bad name and use it as an excuse to stuff their faces with junk.

[Cumulonimbus]

Those damned ignorant boys put it in their signature and claim they can have 5 cheeseburgers a day FTW. They give IIFYM a bad name and use it as an excuse to stuff their faces with junk.

Exactly.

My IIFYM meal was 4 waffles, turkey bacon, PB&CO CRS, banana and WF pancake syrup.

75/40/12.5 C/P/F to the gram, next meal, oh noezz.. WW penne and chicken!

People go t the extremes and don't understand what moderation is.. quite sad.

[str8flexed]

some people like suffering and hating the taste of their food just for the sake of suffering because it makes them feel hardcore.

If you get lean as hell in the end and you can enjoy your food, exactly what is wrong with that?

Moderation. I know, a revolutionary idea

[juliacheh]

some people like suffering and hating the taste of their food just for the sake of suffering because it makes them feel hardcore.

YES, this!
Exactly my thoughts.

[N01SYtZ]

seems like every thread turns into iifym vs. 1 iifym extremist vs. HARDCORE chicken n rice eaters.

[str8flexed]

yup, you either eat all candy or only chicken and raw broccoli. there is no in between !

[Barn01]

some people like suffering and hating the taste of their food just for the sake of suffering because it makes them feel hardcore.

If you get lean as hell in the end and you can enjoy your food, exactly what is wrong with that?

Moderation. I know, a revolutionary idea

+2^^^

I didn't use a diet plan for my last 2 cuts. Just cals an macro's! I enjoyed a bowl of cheerios almost every morning and post workout. Not to mention my protein bar covered in PB everyday for a mid morning snack

As long as you take everything you're eating into consideration then there's no reason you can't try and make the most out of the little that you get to eat. I agree that you need to keep micro nutrients in consideration, but nobody has ever determined just what is optimal as far as micros are concerned, especially with respect to cutting to deathly levels of BF%.

Also I do believe there are MANY MANY things that exist in this world that science has yet to explain so if you base everything you do in life on science alone then you are likely missing out on a much larger picture. Experiment and open up your mind! You might be surprised what you stumble upon (someone figured out how to make fire before science could ever explain how it was possible)

[juliacheh]

seems like every thread turns into iifym vs. 1 iifym extremist vs. HARDCORE chicken n rice eaters.

That's why I changed my signature.
I don't know how else to explain that I'm not eating candy and Mcdonald's all day.
Actually it would be kinda hard for me right now since I started a cut on 1800 calories LOL.

[N01SYtZ]

That's why I changed my signature.
I don't know how else to explain that I'm not eating candy and Mcdonald's all day.
Actually it would be kinda hard for me right now since I started a cut on 1800 calories LOL.

jeez 1800 calories thats like... two subway sammiches lol
good luck

[juliacheh]

jeez 1800 calories thats like... two subway sammiches lol
good luck

Thanks.

[coltmasterj]

jeez 1800 calories thats like... two subway sammiches lol
good luck

You sound like that Mofo Jared.

[N01SYtZ]

You sound like that Mofo Jared.

lol i used to fawkin love subway.. but i noticed i feel so damn sluggish after eating it and it never fills me up ive eating 6 sammiches at once before and was still hungry

[WheytWut92]

lol i used to fawkin love subway.. but i noticed i feel so damn sluggish after eating it and it never fills me up ive eating 6 sammiches at once before and was still hungry

holy chit, waistline blown?

[WhiteFiberz]

First off...I love the titles of these threads.."A calorie is not a calorie"... Really?? Then what is it

Baked Lays aren't okay to eat? Why's that? Because they lack micronutrients? That may be the case, but what about if the rest of your diet has you eating an excess of vitamins and minerals that you can't assimilate?

And what about those darn preservatives and artificial flavors?(Which Baked Lays don't have...) Well I guess you're left with those damn fast digesting carbohydrates where the whole 23g coming from potatoes is going to spike your insulin levels and store fat. Well hate to break it to you, but every time you eat you're storing fat...however in the fasted state you're oxidizing it. So it's the net amounts of oxidation/storage that matters. If you're in a caloric deficit you're going to be oxidizing fat unless you're some freak who can defy the laws dictating the natural world.

Leaving lack of education out of the equation, is the reason you're not eating these foods because they're "dirty" or because the cultish culture that is the fitness world has dictated what foods are okay to eat and which are going to be counterproductive to your goals? To them, anything that isn't a whole food is going to be bad for you...even then I know people who don't eat carrots because they have a higher sugar content or even white potatoes because...well I'm still trying to figure that one out.

Two words I wish people knew...CONTEXT and MODERATION. The ones who understand those words and apply them to their sport are the ones I see enjoying it most. A lot of times people just eat such strict diets to feel elite to those around them or live up that hardcore image.They enjoy suffering and I think that's what attracts a lot of competitors to the sport.

[bballbrett5]

One thing I've yet to see either side of the debate address is where to draw the line, and I'd love to see if any of you have any thoughts. Kurt suggests that "eating sh*t" won't get you into your peak condition, which is fine. Pop tarts and ice cream are notoriously used by the anti-IIFYM side as "sh*t", but where are we drawing this line? Is it processed vs. natural foods? In that case, I could see where a processed food could still a similar micronutrient composition to a food found in nature depending on what's in it. Is it calorically dense foods vs. those that aren't? Again I could see arguments for both sides.

So where do we draw the line? (I think WhiteFiberz was getting at this in his second paragraph as well...repped for that).