Q: I am vigorously participating in Crossfit workouts six days a week. I take several supplements and follow the Zone diet for my main three meals. My snacks are more blocks than recommended. The nutritionist that I am working with at the local Max Muscle chain is telling me to start eating some starchy carbs, such as sweet potatoes, because he is saying with my tough workouts I do not get a good energy source from the fruits and vegetables. Also I do not want to lose any more weight. I would like to gain as much lean muscle mass as I can without chemistry.
A:It is not a matter of weight but of percentage of body fat you want to achieve. If you can’t see your abs, you can probably stand to lose some extra fat. Building muscle mass requires a constant influx of small amounts of protein throughout the day to activate mTOR, which is key to building new muscle mass. The Zone Diet provides such constant protein supply. Relative to eating more starchy carbs, it has been demonstrated that lower levels of carbohydrates combined with protein has a greater effect on the speed and level of glycogen replacement than higher levels of carbs alone. If you aren’t hungry between meals, losing body fat, and building strength, then you have the ideal dietary program.