QuestionOne little anecdote:
I believe the reason you can gain large amounts of muscle following the primal diet resides in meal frequency.
Following AV's recommended meals (is it 8-10?) eliminates the possibility of conversion of muscle tissue into available energy.
Consuming frequent meals also reduces water retention (which causes muscles to show more).
Are there people you know on the primal diet following this sort of frequency long-term?
Does AV himself daily follow this regimen, or fast for periods such as yourself?
I can imagine that one could follow this frequency consuming fruits and vegetables, however, meats and fats require time to digest and tend to induce fatigue.
Perhaps, being that AV consumes much raw milk this makes it easier?
Regards,
Thomas
AnswerIt's always possible that eating such frequent meals causes such muscle-growth.However, I've also gained a bit of muscle over the last 4 years, despite eating only 1 main meal a day.
A number of people starting this diet have reported some amazing muscle-gains after transitioning from cooked to raw, usually after doing a really long all-water fast just before the change in diet(up to 20 days in duration). This is purely anecdotal, though. While I've fasted for up to 3-4 days at a time, on occasion, I've never dared to do a fast for longer than that. I do know that Aajonus did similiar fasts before going all-raw.However, he generally doesn't recommend it for Primal Dieters once they're fully raw, and he does seem to practice the diet he recommends, judging from people who know him personally.
Re meat/fruits/veg:- The reason why I don't like fruit and veg is that they initially give a lift in energy due to higher blood sugar levels, but the blood sugar soon drops making one feel tired. I experienced this effect a lot in my Raw Vegan/Fruitarian days. Most long-term RPDers slowly reduce their raw carbohydrate intake to minimal amounts due to increasing sensitivity to them, while increasing their intake of raw animal fat.
I can't really comment on the raw dairy issue, as I'm somewhat biased on the subject, given my own food-intolerance towards it. My own increase in muscle-growth only happened once I gave up raw dairy completely.
Lastly, I know very few people who do the Primal Diet long-term who go in for so many frequent meals a day - most people simply don't have the time. There are a number of them, though, on the live-food and Primaldiet Yahoo groups, though, who seem to follow Aajonus' exact specifications.
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