Bad advice
I have received some disturbing email, which I believe needs to be ‘aired’, so to speak. It’s been brought to my attention that there is some really ill informed advice going around the fitness blogging community and in particular, a certain Fitness Forum, and the people that have emailed me are quite concerned (and rightly so).
If you are reading recommendations for a low/no carb diet, and that carbs are not essential – then please listen, and listen good! We NEED carbs in our diet. Especially when training, carbs are essential for wellbeing, recovery, growth, and for our brains to function! A competitor will often use a diet lower in carbs to get to an extremely low level of body fat. But to maintain this sort of regime year round is ridiculous, not to mention ridiculously unhealthy. Sure, you might feel fine for awhile, but that’s because you are running on adrenaline due to the stress you are placing on your body! Too much adrenaline over a period of time spells BURNOUT and major health issues.
I am speaking from personal experience. I too used to get up at 4.30am every morning to train and do cardio, work from 8 to 5pm, then home to more training and cardio. I didn’t even need the alarm to wake up, I was ‘wired’ all the time. I used to train with a trainer in Melbourne, so in addition to the above, I was driving 6 hours to Melbourne every 3-4 weeks, for 4 days, training every day whilst there. I did all this while on a diet with very little carbs. I lost body fat, yes, but I lost a lot of muscle too, and in doing so, I screwed up my health. Down the track a little I started to experience problems. Then, after 2 years of continued exhaustion, sleeping problems and uncontrollable carbohydrate cravings, that were all getting worse, I started extensive research because I wanted answers. I saw doctors, naturopaths, specialists. Finally it was discovered I had adrenal exhaustion and low thyroid function, and I am now I am on continued medication for both. I feel very much better now, but I do have to rest and sleep when I feel the need to and I have definitely learned my lesson about taking on too much at once!
I have had a few different trainers over the years and have learnt a LOT of things. One of them, and I have discussed this with other highly successful competitors and trainers, is that long term low carb/no carb diets are not necessary, and are most certainly, detrimental to long term health. Even when competing you have to eat carbs, unless you want to look depleted, stringy and flat!
My opinion is, low carbs may be required and can be ok for as short a time as possible IF YOU HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS. Ie if you want to make 10% body fat or under and you have a body that resists being that lean - you will probably have to take some drastic measures. But you do it only for as long as you have to and you CAN NOT, and SHOULD NOT, eat like this year round.
Please email me at sue@idealbodiesonline.com if you would like to discuss the carb issue further (or any other issue – believe me, I have more info than I am able to publicly write here) – as a trainer and someone who is passionate about the industry of health and fitness and the health and wellbeing of my clients and readers, I am disturbed that this ill informed info is flying around out there. It seems that many people agree, yet are a little afraid of speaking up. Please DO speak up, it’s the only way to nip this bad advice in the bud!
I hope the person handing out this bad info has some good public liability insurance!
If you are reading recommendations for a low/no carb diet, and that carbs are not essential – then please listen, and listen good! We NEED carbs in our diet. Especially when training, carbs are essential for wellbeing, recovery, growth, and for our brains to function! A competitor will often use a diet lower in carbs to get to an extremely low level of body fat. But to maintain this sort of regime year round is ridiculous, not to mention ridiculously unhealthy. Sure, you might feel fine for awhile, but that’s because you are running on adrenaline due to the stress you are placing on your body! Too much adrenaline over a period of time spells BURNOUT and major health issues.
I am speaking from personal experience. I too used to get up at 4.30am every morning to train and do cardio, work from 8 to 5pm, then home to more training and cardio. I didn’t even need the alarm to wake up, I was ‘wired’ all the time. I used to train with a trainer in Melbourne, so in addition to the above, I was driving 6 hours to Melbourne every 3-4 weeks, for 4 days, training every day whilst there. I did all this while on a diet with very little carbs. I lost body fat, yes, but I lost a lot of muscle too, and in doing so, I screwed up my health. Down the track a little I started to experience problems. Then, after 2 years of continued exhaustion, sleeping problems and uncontrollable carbohydrate cravings, that were all getting worse, I started extensive research because I wanted answers. I saw doctors, naturopaths, specialists. Finally it was discovered I had adrenal exhaustion and low thyroid function, and I am now I am on continued medication for both. I feel very much better now, but I do have to rest and sleep when I feel the need to and I have definitely learned my lesson about taking on too much at once!
I have had a few different trainers over the years and have learnt a LOT of things. One of them, and I have discussed this with other highly successful competitors and trainers, is that long term low carb/no carb diets are not necessary, and are most certainly, detrimental to long term health. Even when competing you have to eat carbs, unless you want to look depleted, stringy and flat!
My opinion is, low carbs may be required and can be ok for as short a time as possible IF YOU HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS. Ie if you want to make 10% body fat or under and you have a body that resists being that lean - you will probably have to take some drastic measures. But you do it only for as long as you have to and you CAN NOT, and SHOULD NOT, eat like this year round.
Please email me at sue@idealbodiesonline.com if you would like to discuss the carb issue further (or any other issue – believe me, I have more info than I am able to publicly write here) – as a trainer and someone who is passionate about the industry of health and fitness and the health and wellbeing of my clients and readers, I am disturbed that this ill informed info is flying around out there. It seems that many people agree, yet are a little afraid of speaking up. Please DO speak up, it’s the only way to nip this bad advice in the bud!
I hope the person handing out this bad info has some good public liability insurance!
posted by Sue Heintze at
11:54 am
3 Comments:
I agree with your comments 100% Sue. I had no carbs drummed in my head when I first started training at 17 and carried on this way for four years - I never made any sufficient muscle mass gain - I did have a low percentage of body fat but have had SERIOUS health complications (like yourself) due to that bad advice. It not only took its toll physcially but mentally I have had to re-educate myself about carbs and that our body DOES need them (this took quite a long time to re-train my brain to say it is ok). I too lived on adreneline before collapsing on a regular basis. I have had far more muscle mass and low body fat percentage when I have eaten 6 times a day with carbs included. I think it is really great as a trainer with your knowledge that you can help to educate others. Keep it up!!!
By
Jodi, at 3:33 pm
Well said Sue! I learned during my last challenge that carbs play a very important role. In fact, when you dramatically INCREASED my carbs for a week because you felt I needed it, I saw a huge increase in energy, and also a good drop in scale weight, which both then continued on for the rest of my programme.
A low carb/no carb diet is virtually impossible to maintain - and its no fun!
By
Miss Positive, at 5:45 pm
Hear hear, thanks girls :) You are all so right.
By
Sue Heintze, at 5:15 pm
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