Category Archives: Nutrition Fact & Myth

Protein powders, creatine, BCAA'S. Sound familiar? So many questions about whether these are "essential" for muscle growth. I will say this, many lifters (especially new lifters) are convinced that one must spend a buttload of money on supplements to make gains.

It's time to face a simple fact: lifters got damn big and damn strong before any supplements existed.

Do some research on a guy called Eugene Sandow whom the Mr. Olympia trophy is modelled after. Do you think supplements existed during that era?

Another simple fact: your diet (and of course your training) will determine 95% of your success in bodybuilding (or any sport). At most, supplements can add 5% to that level. Unless you're planning on competing, and that 5% may mean the difference between winning and losing, spending a small fortune on supplements is a waste. As well, until you get the 95% of your training and diet in order, you're wasting your money and energy on supplements.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-supplements. To echo the words of a wise man, I'm anti-anything that detracts trainees from the stuff that really matters (training and diet).

Protein powders have their use, but one can easily fulfil a day's protein requirements without them. However, if you're the type who has an insane schedule, you know, working parent with kids constantly on the move, powders might not be such a bad idea since they're absorbed really quickly without upsetting your stomach vs a solid meal if you have to train in a jiffy.

Creatine will make you stronger and you'll gain some water weight, which might mean a little bit faster gains down the road. But then again, if you're the type who's eating plenty of red meat which had naturally occurring creatine, it would render it redundant.

Spend an hour on Sunday cooking up chicken breasts, eggs, pasta, rice, etc in preparation for the coming week. It's all about effort.

Arguably the biggest misconception about the Atkins Diet (which is a very low carb ketogenic diet) is that you can consume unlimited calories and still lose weight/body fat. This implies that somehow basic thermodynamics (energy in vs. energy out) is being affected somehow. That ketosis somehow increases calorie expenditure to compensate for caloric intake.

The thing is that Atkins NEVER said that this would happen (although I have a feeling that he wanted people to read what he said that way, as a marketing gimmick). What he said was that, as long as you ate less than 30 grams of carbs, you could eat as much protein and fat as you liked and still lose weight, which is not the same as an unlimited quantity. He was basing this on studies done in the 60's and 70's showing the following fact: When individuals remove all carbohydrates from their diet but are told to eat ‘unlimited’ protein and fat, they will generally reduce their caloric intake to between 1400-2100 calories/day. This creates a caloric deficit and weight is lost.

That is, there’s no magical fact of ketosis that allows weight/fat (not counting the water loss that occurs) to be lost while eating above maintenance (or even maintenance calories), you still have to have a caloric deficit for fat loss to occur.

So you may ask why bother with a ketogenic diet? The difference between a ketogenic diet and a non-ketogenic diet may be in the proportions of fat and muscle lost for a given caloric deficit. That is, ketogenic diets may cause more fat and less muscle to be lost compared to a non-ketogenic diet for the same deficit. But the deficit MUST exist.

Depending on what type of training you’re doing, you may also find that during and post-workout nutrition is also beneficial. The length of the workout, type of workout, etc. all go into this determination.

So again, the answer is that it depends. Certainly, there is some logic to having nutrients in the system during and right after training by consuming something right before the workout. But this is complicated by whether or not you’ve eaten a whole-food meal in the few hours before your training. As above, if you’ve eaten within 2-3 hours, I wouldn’t bother with anything before your workout.

If it’s been 3-4 hours since your last meal, I’d suggest at least experimenting with eating something maybe 30 minutes before workout (this could be a protein bar, a small carb/protein drink) to normalize blood glucose and get some amino acids into the system is probably a good idea.

About 0.3-0.5 g/kg (0.14-0.23 g/lb) of both carbs and protein would be a good starting place. For a 180 lb lifter that’s 25-40 grams of carbs and protein combined about 30 minutes before your workout (to give the nutrients time to get into your system).

I would mention that a small percentage of people seem to get rebound blood sugar issues from consuming rapidly digesting nutrients right before a workout; if you’re one of them you’ll want to wait until you start warming up to eat anything. Exercise blunts insulin response and waiting until your warm-up to start eating anything limits the possibility of a negative blood glucose response.

There are mentions of increased muscle cramping in athletes with creatine use but this has never shown up in the studies. It’s possible that creatine may increase water requirements (since it pulls water into the muscle) so an athlete doing heavy workouts in Malaysian weather might be more prone to cramping if they aren’t drinking enough water.

In the short term at least, the gains in terms of weight and strength gains from creatine are transient. Of course, if you’re eating a large amount of red meat, you may remain creatine loaded for quite some time even if you stop using creatine so the gains may persist. In the long term, it’s possible that the increased training intensity from creatine might increase true strength and mass gains.

Nobody seems to have an answer for the whole creatine and protein thing and I’ve seen arguments on both sides of the fence. It seems anecdotal that people have taken creatine with protein and without and it works pretty much the same so I don’t personally think there’s any worry.

As to the amount, there are a couple of options.

Fast loading: this is the standard loading phase which is 20 grams per day (5 grams 4 times per day) for 5 days.

Medium loading: Some people, like myself, find that 20 grams of creatine per day causes stomach upset and diarrhea.

Slow loading: a recent study showed that 3 grams taken for a month results in the same creatine levels as with the fast loading phase. So decide whether you want to load fast or slow.

There is (contrary to what supplement companies want you to believe) no evidence supporting the maintenance phase for creatine supplementation. The daily turnover of creatine is about 2-3 grams and anyone eating sufficient red meat should stay creatine loaded for quite some time without any additional creatine.

Fats are one of the macronutrients that we consume on a daily basis, it has 9 calories per gram of fat. Most of us are aware that a diet with high fats is considered unhealthy due to being very dense in calories, therefore some of us tend to cut out all fats from our daily diet. In today’s article, I will be sharing with you why we need some fats in our diet for our daily body functions.

1) Fats build healthy cells

Fats are a vital part of the membrane that surrounds each cell of the body. Without a healthy cell membrane, the rest of the cell couldn’t function.

2) Fats build brains

You need fats because provide the structural components not only of cell membranes in the brain but also of myelin, the fatty insulating sheath that surrounds each nerve fiber, enabling it to carry messages faster.

3) Fats help the body use vitamins

Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble vitamins, meaning that the fat in foods helps the intestines absorb these vitamins into the body.

4) Fats make hormones

Fats are structural components of some of the most important substances in the body, including prostaglandins, hormone-like substances that regulate many of the body’s functions. You need fats because they regulate the production of sex hormones, which explains why some teenage girls who are too lean experience delayed pubertal development and amenorrhea.

5) Fat provides healthier skin

One of the more obvious signs of fatty acid deficiency is dry, flaky skin. In addition to giving skin its rounded appeal, the layer of fat just beneath the skin (called subcutaneous fat) acts as the body’s own insulation to help regulate body temperature. Lean people tend to be more sensitive to cold; obese people tend to be more sensitive to warm weather.

6) Fat forms a protective cushion for your organs

Many of the vital organs, especially the kidneys, heart, and intestines are cushioned by fat that helps protect them from injury and hold them in place. (True, some of us “overprotect” our bodies.) As a tribute to the body’s own protective wisdom, this protective fat is the last to be used up when the body’s energy reserves are being tapped into.

During your period, it’s normal to gain 1kg to 2kgs that goes away after a few days of bleeding. It’s a physical symptom of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). PMS includes a wide range of physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms that affect women several days to two weeks
before their period. These symptoms are caused by the hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle.

Weight gain and that bloated, sore feeling in your abdomen are common symptoms during your period. You might feel this way for a number of reasons.

1) Hormonal Changes

Hormonal changes can cause weight gain by increasing water retention in your body. These are caused by the rapid decrease of Estrogen and Progesterone, whereby one of their function is to control the way your body regulates fluid.

Water retention may cause swelling or puffiness in your breasts, stomach, or extremities. This increases body weight, but not fat.

2) Bloating

Period bloating or stomach cramps can make your clothes feel tight and uncomfortable. This isn’t true weight gain, but you might feel like you’ve gained a few extra pounds.
During your period, hormonal changes can increase gas in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract and cause bloating. Water retention in your abdomen may also lead to bloating.

3) Overeating

The hormonal changes during your period can also make you overeat. In the week before your period, progesterone levels increase. Progesterone is an appetite stimulant. As progesterone rises, you might eat more than usual.

Estrogen also regulates serotonin, a neurotransmitter that controls mood and reduces appetite. When estrogen drops right before your period, so does serotonin. The result is a bigger appetite. Low serotonin can also increase sugar cravings because high-carbohydrate foods help the body make serotonin. If serotonin is low, the brain craves more sugar. Eating high-sugar foods can increase your calorie intake and lead to weight gain.

4) Decrease in magnesium

When your period begins, magnesium levels gradually decrease. This drop can provoke sugar cravings and contribute to weight gain. Magnesium is a mineral that regulates your body’s hydration status. Low levels of magnesium can cause dehydration.

However, dehydration can mask itself as hunger. It can also make you desire sugary foods when you’re just thirsty. Eating high-sugar foods can contribute to weight gain.

So here are some of the treatments and prevention you can do if you are facing this problem.

• Stay hydrated


• Take Magnesium supplements


• Avoid foods that give you gas


• Exercise regularly


• Eat more healthy foods

The function of a whey protein shake is to allow you to have a quick high-protein drink after a workout session. But is it really necessary? In today’s short article, We will give my take on protein shakes and you can decide if you really need them.

For me, who loves eating real solid foods, would rather eat my protein from solid foods such as chicken breast, whole eggs, beef, and fish. Due to the fact that it takes a longer time to digest and it makes me feel full longer. Protein shakes usually digest really fast, sometimes even within 10 minutes! If you are on a diet, you would want to feel full most of the time, because being constantly hungry can an will lead to you over-eating and exceeding your daily calorie intake.

Apart from that, to compare the prices between solid food and whey protein, solid foods are much cheaper than whey protein powders. Generally, 1 tub of 2.5kg of whey protein is usually around RM190 to RM300 range, depending on the brand of protein powder of course. While the cost solid foods, like chicken breast, only cost around RM11 to RM15 per kilogram.

However, there will be some scenarios that probably you do not have the time to cook your own food or you don’t have the time to eat, then having a protein shake with you is a good idea.

One simple way to avoid yourself from having snacks during midnight is to THROW ALL YOUR SNACKS AND DO NOT HAVE THEM AT HOME! That is the easy way, but is having midnight snacks wrong? In today’s article, We’ll be sharing my opinion on this topic and hopefully, it will help you in your fitness journey.

When it comes down to weight loss, time and time again we emphasize being on a calorie deficit. But do keep in mind, if you ate most of your meals throughout the day and still have some calories remaining, it’s not wrong to have a little snack before sleep. This is because even though you ate some snacks late at night, you’re still in a calorie deficit, thus you are still eating lesser the what your burn in a day.

You surely heard from someone, either your friends or family that “You will get fat when you eat late at night”, but this theory is false. The question comes to mind “what if” you only had 1 meal a day, and that is during late-night, do you still gain fat? Obviously not, due to the fact that Laws Of Thermodynamics, whereby energy cannot be created and destroyed from nothing, and energy is calories. So how can you get fat if you are only eating late at night and that’s your only meal which consists of let's say 1800 calories, and your maintenance calories are 2200? Now that we started out, it doesn’t make sense, does it?

In conclusion, you still can have some snacks if you have some remaining calories.

Ever had a big meal before bed? And thinking that the weight gain on the next day is fat gain? In today's article, I’ll be explaining to you why this occurs and if it is fat gain or not.

There are several factors that cause your weight to go up and down every day, one of the factors is what we call water fluctuations. This is due to our water intake and also our carbohydrate intake. Firstly, let's talk about water intake. 60% of our body is water, therefore we obviously need water to survive, however, if we are dehydrated, we will tend to store water in our body to ensure that we can stay alive. You may hear of people saying, “Drink less water to avoid water retention in our body”, this is not true, as we explained above, if we drink less water, our body will need to store whatever it has in order to stay alive. So if you are constantly drinking very less, try drinking anywhere from 2L-3L of water per day and see how your weight goes. One of the interesting things about the human body is that the body has a way to discreet out water when it has enough of water, that's is making you constantly going to take a piss.

Secondly, we store carbohydrates in the body in a form of glucose. Glucose comes from the Greek word for "sweet." It's a type of sugar you get from foods you eat, and your body uses it for energy. So if you have ever had an experience of having a lot of carbohydrate food yesterday, and notice your weight spikes up the next day, this is due to each gram of carbohydrate we will store 3-4 grams of water. So in other words, more carbs mean more water retention. Having too much excess carbohydrate intake in a long run will lead to fat gain because the energy we store in our body is not being utilized.

In conclusion, if you are keeping track of your daily water and macro-nutrition intake, you will know that the sudden weight gain is not fat but rather water fluctuations.