You hear it on Twitter all the time especially from diet zealots, vegans, ketoheads, and trolls:’Eating food I don’t like will kill you.’
Turns out, after years of trial and error, I figured out that this is false. And, the secret to a great diet isn’t much of a secret at all.
I’ve been meaning to set the record straight. So when Herculean Strength approached me about doing a guestpost, it was the perfect opportunity.
Let’s do it!
5 Diet Myths That are Damaging Your Progress in The Gym
1. Carbs make you fat
This is one of the dumbest takes out there.
Usually, you hear it from Keto & Low Carb dieters. Don’t get me wrong low carb dieting is wonderful for fat loss. It’s simple, and simplicity is good.
But it hasits limits, namely: If you want to look like a scrawny bag of sand, then low carb is great.
Here’s the problem with omitting carbs: Muscles are hungry. They use a lot of glycogen. And you need glycogen for optimal strength, muscle mass & performance.
I don’t care what the cherrypicked studies on Twitter say.
This is well demonstrated among top athletes in professional sports. And dare I say, ‘post fizeek.’ You’ll know the ‘meat hippies’ as I like to call them by their skinnyfat fizeeks.
Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand? He eats rice. And lots of it.
That said, ‘dirty bulking’ is as dumb as avoiding carbs.
Make sure you stick to clean carbs; don’t use this blog post as an excuse to eat like crap and clean up the local pizza joint.
My preferred sources of carb:
- Basmati Rice
- Sweet Potato
- Asparagus
- Peppers
- Wholegrain Tortillas (Without seed oils)
2. Fruit Makes You Fat
This one also comes from the Keto / Low Carb crowd wow, these guys are on a roll.
Fruit is amazing for several reasons: It’s chock full of amazing vitamins & nutrients It’s loaded with antioxidants It’s loaded with fiber (which helps you digest & helps keep you full longer).
It helps you replenish electrolytes, which is important when you sweat a lot Some fruit contains compounds that carry hormonal benefits (e.g. boosting testosterone).
Here are some of my favorite fruits: Watermelon: It’s loaded with citrulline, which makes it amazing for muscle recovery. For this reason it’s often referred to as a secret weapon among athletes.
Pineapple: Contains a ton of bromelain, which helps break down slow digesting protein. It’s also important for testosterone production.
Blueberries: These guys are super high in antioxidants, which is great for reducing the risk of cancer &heart disease. They’re also delicious, low in sugar + full of fiber & vitamin C.
Strawberries: Like blueberries, strawberries are low in sugar & calories. They also carry similar health benefits. Strawberries make a great low calories snack!
3. Cholesterol is bad for you
I guess it’s not fair to only pick on the meat hippies. After all, Vegans have a reputation for being batsh*t crazy.
Here are some of the reasons why you should stop getting your info from documentaries, and Do Your Own Research:
Recent advancements in nutritional science have all but debunked the links between dietary cholesterol and heart disease.
Eggs and red meat have shown time and time again to support a lean, healthy body mass I encourage everyone to monitor their own bloodwork, but there is plenty of ‘anecdotal’ evidence from people lowering their LDL levels, losing weight & even reversing T2D on a high cholesterol diet.
You can also look at some of the more recent studies for yourself (DYOR) — I encourage you to do so.
4. Supplements are a scam
In addition to ‘diet zealots,’ there are diet purists. These weirdos would have you eat only free range organic triple certified ethically sourced non GMO beef from a small farm in the middle of Patagonia.
Whatever your moral preferences for your diet are, let’s get supplements straight: Supplements are not a replacement for real food, nor are they a magic pill for weight loss / muscle gain.
As the name implies, supplements are intended to supplement your existing diet Supplements, specifically a quality whey protein are great for the busy person who has trouble getting enough in their diet.
Nothing is easier, or more rewarding than enjoying a nice, cold, delicious whey protein smoothie after an intense workout.
So go ahead and add whey to your meal plan. It’s fine, and it will most likely help you stay on track.
5. ‘I have to give up eating pizza/ice cream/donuts/etc’
This last one is a departure from the others, but it’s just as important.
I hear this way too often not to say something.
So here it is: If your diet is not sustainable, it’s a bad diet, PERIOD.
Read it again: If you want to be successful, your diet needs to fit your lifestyle.
Does your lifestyle include eating cake at your kids’ birthday party? Then go ahead and do it.
As long as you’re eating well 80% of the time, and sticking to your workout routine, it’s impossible to fail. This is where having a great program comes in handy. Trust me on this… if you know, you know.
But also: the perfect time to cheat is when you hit a plateau. This is a huge secret I’ve withheld from my program until now. But I’m willing to share it here with you, the Herculean Strength readers, simply because the boys at HS are friends of mine.
That’s it for this article. Best of luck on your fitness journey because that’s what fitness is — a journey.
And remember have fun getting swole!
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