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I got into conversation today with someone at the gym in which we started talking about nutrition and he said to me “I don't get how people can eat so much fruit a day with all that sugar, its not good for you”…..
I just looked at him confused I couldn't understand where he'd got this information from… After more conversation he told me his trainer and “nutrition coach” (I emphasise that for a reason) told him this….. Wow!! Guys I'm here to tell you that sugar in fruit is not bad for you, I can only think that this bad rep associated with natural sugar has come from fad zero carb diets (which arnt sustainable) and the all and mighty (IIFYM) craze, I for one do not believe that IIFYM works in getting you lean, don't get me wrong there is a place for it but it will not get you lean, let me explain… IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) If you don't know what this means then ill try to explain the easiest way possible. Some people (myself included) calculate their daily macros when trying to lose, gain or maintain weight, which basically means we calculate how much Carbs, Fats and Proteins (these are your Macro Nutrients) we need through out the day. Now lets say you calculate your macros to “gain” weight and you've worked out you need 250g protein, 250g carbs and 80g of fat a day (I just made those up) and lets say this calculation would help you gain 4 pounds a week, in theory you could eat whatever you want as long as it fits your macros (hence the saying IIFYM) and as long as you hit those macros bang on for protein, carbs and fats then you would increase your weight by 4 pounds every week, so you could eat pizzas, burgers, ice cream, refined sugar etc. and would achieve your goal But would this be healthy…. No. Don't get me wrong it would work, but you would feel absolute s**t and if I was to calculate your visceral fat (the fat around your organs) I guarantee it wouldn't be very healthy looking. This same concept is used when trying to get lean, a lot of people say that you can eat what you want as long as it fits your macros, but I really don't believe that this is true, lets say I've calculated someones macros for them to lose weight and I have set them a carb target of no more than 150 grams a day, technically if you follow IIFYM then you could eat 150 grams of refined carbs and you would still get lean….. I don't think so. Trust me if you took that person and put them on a diet consisting 150g of fibrous carbs, fruits, veg etc this person would look a lot leaner than the person eating 150g of refined carbs . Refined food is completely stripped of nutrients, fibre and water and thus increases the speed in which it enters your bloodstream, which is why when you have them you get short, sudden bursts of energy and then come crashing back down and need more. I can tell you now these are not good for you and are also highly addictive but whole food simple carbs such as fruits and veg come in their complete form which includes the right proportion of water and fibre which help facilitate the natural rate of digestion. So in conclusion... Yes IIFYM works if you are just monitoring weight and nothing else (body fat, muscle mass, visceral fat etc) as you will lose/gain weight just by working on macros, but unless you are the son of Zeus and your genetic make up is that of a greek god you will not get lean and have that definition you desire, you need to be looking at the types of foods you are eating not just thinking well fat is fat or a carb is a carb, it just simply doesn't work like that, Ive been in this industry for a long time and I talk from experience, I see nutritionists out there getting it wrong all the time with this and do they last long??? no they don’t, they move on and do something else within 2 years as they don't get the results they want and they don't get the clients they need to sustain a business. Ive recently changed my diet to consist of fruits and vegetables as my main form of carbohydrates and I have never felt better, I have more energy throughout the day and I just generally look and feel great and don't get me wrong my diet wasn't bad before I ate all good carbs (brown rice, pasta, sweet potato) as my main source of carbs which are all great and full of nutrients and I still eat them around exercise but seeing how I feel after switching to mainly fruits and veg, the difference is unreal. Go and eat what is naturally grown on this wonderful planet, trust me, its grown for a reason. Contact me if you need more info on this. Martin Waterhouse Personal Trainer
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