'Stronglifts vs. BFFM'

[Avenge]

Hi,

I'm currently reading Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto. Mehdi advised it, so I decided to download it. But what I am reading is really suprising me. Mehdi advises to eat carbs at breakfast, and around the work-outs. However, I'm reading in BFFM that I should let my carbs consist of at least 40% of my daily intake, and that I should eat them with every meal.

That is really suprising me..

Should I eat them with every meal? Aren't I getting fat (or even fatter ) then? Or should I keep in mind that this E-book is kind of 'old' .. And that I just should keep my carbs low?

Really hoping to learn from all the great answers here..

Ave

[Shaunc]

I've download BFFM as well reading through it.

I've adopted a bit of Venuto's ideas into my diet. But I don't keep a strict count of carbs/protein. I'm just making sure I'm eating good carbs and cutting the starchy ones out later in the day. I do make sure I get plenty of protein (shakes, chicken, lean meat etc). I've made an effort to cut out refined sugar (ok, the occasional bit of chocolate) and bad fats (apart from the 1 junk meal a week).

Is this working? Dunno. Only been doing it a week. But I feel good, think I've lost some weight and have plenty of energy for the gym.

[lcjackson17]

There are too many ideologies out there to fully rely on just one. I'm not a fan of complexity so I keep everything simple. I don't count calories or ratios. Rather, I eat healthy whole foods when I'm hungry. Naturally, this tends to be every three hours or so.

[Avenge]

Shaunc:

Yeah, .. I did have the idea to just lower the carb intake during the day.. (High on breakfast, and lowering during the day..) And to just keep it high around my workouts. I mean, BFFM has a point, we need carbs to get the amino acids in our muscles, so cutting out carbs completely in for example the afternoon isn't the best idea then I guess..

@Icjackson17

Does it work with you?

[guru]

Hi Ave,

No to generalize here, but I will just tell my experience - I'm a vegetarian, and as such, need a lot of carbs so that I can have the required protein. My carb intake is approx. 50%. As far as I know, in the last six months I have not gained any fat. I have certainly got stronger, though not a lot.

What I see in the mirror is a body more muscular than six months ago.

[Mouse]

BTFFTM, as far as I remember, has you building up to 7 mornings of steady state unfuelled cardio for up to 45 minutes (?).

You have to eat carbs to be able to sustain that energy wise - think of how marathon runners carb up before races (different goal for them obviously - i'm not suggesting you eat pasta until it is coming out of your ears).

Yes the goal is to burn fat, and it will do, but to severely restrict carbs with all that running will see your motivation for doing it plummet rapidly.

Realise it is advocating a balanced diet of carbs, fat and protein, and there is more than one way to skin a cat.

[Avenge]

Guru and Mouse;

Thanks for the answer guys. I'll just follow the protocol, as it will be a lot better than I eat right now. From 2 - 6 meals, complex carbs in stead of cola and energy drinks, veggies, load of proteïn..

I'll just follow the protocol.
Finally time to get real started on getting stronger, bigger, leaner.

[Mehdi]

To lose fat, you have to cut down your calorie intake or burn more calories.

Lowering your carb intake ala 8 nutrition rules automatically cuts down your calorie intake
* much harder to overeat protein/fats
* easy to overeat carbs
* most people eat too many carbs

It's one way to get you to eat less. Another way is to count calories/macros like Tom advises.

Both methods works, I prefer not counting calories (unless you're talking weight gain).

[Bman1]

Mehdi - the only thing I disagree with you on is that, while it is much harder to overeat protein, it is not so hard to overeat fats due to their calorie density. No doubt in my mind that the obesity issues in the US are due to overeating both carbs and fats (ala fast food restaurants).

[Avenge]

Mehdi - the only thing I disagree with you on is that, while it is much harder to overeat protein, it is not so hard to overeat fats due to their calorie density. No doubt in my mind that the obesity issues in the US are due to overeating both carbs and fats (ala fast food restaurants).

Funny that you notice that Bman1, because I stumbled on another question.
Because, does eating carbs and fat at the same time make you fat? Or is it ok to eat 'some' fats along with a starchy carb meal?

It might be an odd question, but I can't seem to find it in BFFM, because Tom only puts 'fats' at meal 6, the last meal of the day.

[Demian]

Because, does eating carbs and fat at the same time make you fat? Or is it ok to eat 'some' fats along with a starchy carb meal?

After the carbs you ate have been digested and released as glucose into your blood, the Pancreas will release Insulin, which then stuffs all the glucose/fat/protein that it finds into the muscle and fat cells, and on top of that tells the fat cells to stop burning fat.

So eating carbs and starches/carbs together is something that will make fat loss quite hard.

We do utilize this effect post workout thought when we want protein pushed in our muscles (thats why for example you only eat protein, lean meat and carbs on loading days on the anabolic diet, and no carbs on high fat days).

[Demian]

Mehdi - the only thing I disagree with you on is that, while it is much harder to overeat protein, it is not so hard to overeat fats due to their calorie density. No doubt in my mind that the obesity issues in the US are due to overeating both carbs and fats (ala fast food restaurants).

It's possible but way harder to overeat fats. You will feel full/get sick way faster if you eat lets say a lot of cheese. And the devil as I wrote above is again Insulin. Since the body is in "shock" caused by the sudden spike in blood sugar, the Insulin will remove all the nutrients very fast and you feel hungry again way faster and therefore eating more kcal's during the day.

I bulked on the AD before, and it was really hard to eat all that fat since you feel full all the time and are in no mood to actually eat again.

[lcjackson17]

Shaunc:

@Icjackson17

Does it work with you?

I gained damn near 40 lbs between my freshman and sophomore years of college. At the end of my sophomore year I was at 200 lbs. I have a naturally wide frame so I wasn't FAT, but I was not comfortable with where I was at.

I followed stronglifts and the 8 nutritional rules over the summer between my junior and senior year and lost about 10 pounds, but more importantly gained muscle. When I came back to school, some people asked me if I had lost weight which felt really good.

Like I said, I just kept it simple and ate lots of whole foods when I was hungry and made sure I got a good amount of protein in each meal. I didn't bother with the Cunningham equation or anything like that. I think that's better left to more advanced people who have already built a decent frame.

[HumanRage]

Mehdi - the only thing I disagree with you on is that, while it is much harder to overeat protein, it is not so hard to overeat fats due to their calorie density. No doubt in my mind that the obesity issues in the US are due to overeating both carbs and fats (ala fast food restaurants).

I suppose this is one of those "to each his own" things, but I'm inclined to disagree about overeating fats. I actually find it much easier to down a pound of pasta than 3-4 hard boiled eggs (which are very fatty if im not mistaken).

[Mehdi]

Mehdi - the only thing I disagree with you on is that, while it is much harder to overeat protein, it is not so hard to overeat fats due to their calorie density. No doubt in my mind that the obesity issues in the US are due to overeating both carbs and fats (ala fast food restaurants).

I'm sure you'll agree eating 200g pasta is easier than eating 200g peanut butter or nuts.