Post by 1705total on Jan 5, 2007 22:07:33 GMT -5
In case you guys did not know MD has their own forum. Its basically a less moderated version of muscle mayhem.
The main differance is that all the pros they have under contract are required to post and have their own thead of questions. Evan Centopani is still an amatuer but his thread has to the coolest. His is articulate and sounds educated not to mention helpful.
Check out this question I asked with his response.
"Evan, when I read the first article profile about you in MD I could relate to fact that as a teen you put weight on quick, but were somewhat chubby. I have a metabolism like that, and it was like that through high school. Made dieting for shows difficult. I'm now older and wiser. Do you feel that a person who puts on weight easily (but mostly fat), is indication that they are more sensitive to carbs, and should try a low carb diet?
Also, I have a 14 year old son who is chubby, who I would like to see get in better shape. I lift at home (I have a nice free weight home gym set up, with various cardio equipment as well). He never was interested in lifting with me, but now he is taking a weight training class at school and wants to get in shape. Is a low carb diet for someone that young ok, or should it just be a more tradditional lower calorie diet?
Thanks
This is an awesome question and I'd be gald to put my two cents in. Let's start from the beggining. I am a big believer in the notion that certain people are genetically predisposed to utilizing different macronutrients more efficiently/effectively than others. While some may burn through carbs (glucose) like crazy, others may be more likely to store them as they are not their ideal enrgy source. I believe that, generally speaking, you break people down into three groups:
A. Those who look and feel better on a higher protein/ higher fat diet
B. Those who look and feel better on a higher protein/ higher carb diet
C. Those who can eat whatever the hell they want and look and feel great.
I myself am not fortunate enough to fall into group c. I have learned that a high protein and fat diet works very well for me. I do in fact believe that the tendency to put on weight very easily is most likely (unless there is some other type of metabolic condition such as a weak thyroid) due to one's insulin response to the food they eat. Now, the thing to understand for the sake of your question and how this may relate to your son is that he may simply not be eating correctly for his body type.
But before you go switching up yours or his diet dramatically, I will say this. Carbohydrate ingestion is, in my eyes, only a problem if A. they are eliciting a drastic insulogenic response that is telling your/his body to just start storing calories or B. they are simply a source of excess calories. Assuming that they are not a source of excess calories, you may want to consider a couple of things first. 1. supplement yor diet with a good fish oil supplement. Omega 3s will sharpen your insulin sensitivity therefore reducing the amount of insulin your body will manufacture. Less insulin = less calorie storage. 2. stick to carbohydrates with a low glycemic index. Barley, lentils, old fashioned oats, quinoa all have a low glycemic index and will digest slowly. Slower digesting carbs = no blood sugar spikes = no insulin spikes = you don't get fat!
You could consider a low carb diet for your son but I don't know that I would recomend it. I would advocate low calorie either. At 14 he's growing and needs PLENTY of food. It just has to be the right stuff. If he naturally opted for a high protein and fat diet and shyed away from carbs then I would say his body is telling him what it wants and to roll with it. Regardless, the first thing I would do is make sure there is no crap in the house; no chips, cakes, pies, packaged or processed foods. If it's there he'll eat it. Stick to the maxim that if you can't pick it or kill it don't eat it. This usually solves a lot of problems off the bat. Be sure to incorporate sufficient essential fatty acids into his diet as these will help with fat buring and serve as a good energy source and basis for healthy hormone production. High quality proteins are a must and I would give some low glycemic carbs a shot before cutting them out. He needs good food. While I am a true believer that some people function better on different macronutrients than on others, we should all be able to process carbs, proteins, and fats with no problem and look good doing it. Just pick the right ones."
The main differance is that all the pros they have under contract are required to post and have their own thead of questions. Evan Centopani is still an amatuer but his thread has to the coolest. His is articulate and sounds educated not to mention helpful.
Check out this question I asked with his response.
"Evan, when I read the first article profile about you in MD I could relate to fact that as a teen you put weight on quick, but were somewhat chubby. I have a metabolism like that, and it was like that through high school. Made dieting for shows difficult. I'm now older and wiser. Do you feel that a person who puts on weight easily (but mostly fat), is indication that they are more sensitive to carbs, and should try a low carb diet?
Also, I have a 14 year old son who is chubby, who I would like to see get in better shape. I lift at home (I have a nice free weight home gym set up, with various cardio equipment as well). He never was interested in lifting with me, but now he is taking a weight training class at school and wants to get in shape. Is a low carb diet for someone that young ok, or should it just be a more tradditional lower calorie diet?
Thanks
This is an awesome question and I'd be gald to put my two cents in. Let's start from the beggining. I am a big believer in the notion that certain people are genetically predisposed to utilizing different macronutrients more efficiently/effectively than others. While some may burn through carbs (glucose) like crazy, others may be more likely to store them as they are not their ideal enrgy source. I believe that, generally speaking, you break people down into three groups:
A. Those who look and feel better on a higher protein/ higher fat diet
B. Those who look and feel better on a higher protein/ higher carb diet
C. Those who can eat whatever the hell they want and look and feel great.
I myself am not fortunate enough to fall into group c. I have learned that a high protein and fat diet works very well for me. I do in fact believe that the tendency to put on weight very easily is most likely (unless there is some other type of metabolic condition such as a weak thyroid) due to one's insulin response to the food they eat. Now, the thing to understand for the sake of your question and how this may relate to your son is that he may simply not be eating correctly for his body type.
But before you go switching up yours or his diet dramatically, I will say this. Carbohydrate ingestion is, in my eyes, only a problem if A. they are eliciting a drastic insulogenic response that is telling your/his body to just start storing calories or B. they are simply a source of excess calories. Assuming that they are not a source of excess calories, you may want to consider a couple of things first. 1. supplement yor diet with a good fish oil supplement. Omega 3s will sharpen your insulin sensitivity therefore reducing the amount of insulin your body will manufacture. Less insulin = less calorie storage. 2. stick to carbohydrates with a low glycemic index. Barley, lentils, old fashioned oats, quinoa all have a low glycemic index and will digest slowly. Slower digesting carbs = no blood sugar spikes = no insulin spikes = you don't get fat!
You could consider a low carb diet for your son but I don't know that I would recomend it. I would advocate low calorie either. At 14 he's growing and needs PLENTY of food. It just has to be the right stuff. If he naturally opted for a high protein and fat diet and shyed away from carbs then I would say his body is telling him what it wants and to roll with it. Regardless, the first thing I would do is make sure there is no crap in the house; no chips, cakes, pies, packaged or processed foods. If it's there he'll eat it. Stick to the maxim that if you can't pick it or kill it don't eat it. This usually solves a lot of problems off the bat. Be sure to incorporate sufficient essential fatty acids into his diet as these will help with fat buring and serve as a good energy source and basis for healthy hormone production. High quality proteins are a must and I would give some low glycemic carbs a shot before cutting them out. He needs good food. While I am a true believer that some people function better on different macronutrients than on others, we should all be able to process carbs, proteins, and fats with no problem and look good doing it. Just pick the right ones."
