Yeah lots of good points there...the ice cream sales thing was a bit silly but it was illustrating a more general point that people (even with a quantifiable evidence base) will attribute causality without necessarily looking at other possible factors. This is of course - the very reason why we shouldn't panic when yet another study is published showing some dire something or other. They are often based on correlations and correlations are not "proof" of anything - whether they are statistically derived or just the cause and effect assumptions we all make.
I wholeheartedly agree about the studies and PIED users. When i deliver training it's a little awkward because I have to start by saying "We don't have a huge evidence base for the harms associated with PIED use...in fact we have alomost no evidence base...". Definitely more "real world" focussed studies needed but I suspect that is starting to change.
When it comes to what works for you - especially for people who have been in the game a few years...then obviously, people who take a measured approach to tweaking things will know what works for them personally. High protein works extremely well for me (just not REALLY high). However...you mentioned telling people to increase protein and that has always resulted in a bigger, harder physique. Just to play devils advocate; you essentially reccommend a higher calorie intake (by increasing one macro) so that would surely lead to a bigger physique? You also refer to peopel who come to you for advice on gaining muscle...have you simultaneously tweaked their training programme at the same time as their diet? If so - how much effect did that have on the final outcome?
These are wholly rhetorical questions really - i'm just thinking out loud. And to be honest it's partly to increase my own understanding plus I'm always aware that these threads are read by many more people than those that contribute so I think it's worth covering a range of questions and opposing ideas. Otherwise they tend to end up a bit one-sided which isn't necessarily any help to people who really don't have a clue to start with.
Really enjoying the thread though I have to say...definitely food for thought. (No pun intended.....
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