Chet Hanx is the son of Tom Hanks. The fact that he has chosen to go by “Hanx” instead of “Hanks” is information that shouldn’t be ignored.
He was a guest on a podcast I was listening to (as I was doing my daily 3-D joint rotations). During the episode, he brought up his new personal training business. He creates custom training and nutrition programs for people and talks with them over Zoom twice per week.
Here’s what Chet says:
He says all the training in the world is useless if you don’t have your diet dialed in. He says your success is 90% diet. He says your proteins, carbs, and fats need to be in proper alignment.
He says you can eat chicken breast, tuna, tilapia, salmon, and 93% lean ground beef. He says you can eat white and brown rice, but not pasta. He says you should limit bread. He says you can't eat chicken thighs and drumsticks on account of both containing more fat than chicken breasts.
Not the worst advice given by a “celebrity” without credentials beyond a before-and-after picture. I was half expecting Hanx to credit his horoscope for his success.
He didn’t.
Which was good.
But just because non-credentialed celebrity standards are lower than a recently divorced lanternfish, that doesn’t mean his lukewarm advice deserves a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card. I mean, he does burpees. Anyone that does burpees must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Let’s begin:
1.
Training isn’t useless if your diet isn't dialed in. You don’t have to torture your taste buds with chicken and rice to get stronger or increase your aerobic capacity. Even if you eat a breakfast Buddy the Elf would be proud of, some of what you eat will likely support muscle growth and repair (instead of adding to your waistline)… as long as you’re training properly.
A fella named Amir Siddiqui once said, “What you do with your body tells your body what to do with food.” I like this quote.
Granted, if every meal you eat pairs well with powdered sugar, you’ll have a tough time losing fat unless you’re Michael Phelps training for the Olympics. This is probably what Hanx is referring to. Still, his blanket statement is foolish. You’re better off lifting weights than not lifting weights, regardless of what you’re eating.
2.
Initially, Hanx was adamant about macros being the only thing that mattered. “Your macros have to be in alignment,” he said, right before demonizing certain foods, like pasta. This doesn’t make sense.
If macros were the only thing that mattered, the source wouldn’t matter. What’s the difference between 100g of carbs from rice and 100g of carbs from pasta? Why can’t you eat chicken thighs if you account for the “extra” fat?
I don’t know.
Perhaps Hanx can elaborate on this. Perhaps Hanx would say pasta has a lower satiety index, which makes it easier to overeat. Or perhaps he'd say pasta is usually coated in a buttery sauce, which…
But he didn’t. (Given the chance, I doubt he would.) And because he didn’t, I’m betting some people who listened to this podcast now believe the only way they can lose fat is by eating chicken breast and rice.
Their loss, I guess…
If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go eat some chicken thighs (and potatoes) for dinner, fully knowing I will be leaner tomorrow than I am today… unless I decide to drink beers as I prepare dinner. Even then, I’ll still probably be leaner tomorrow than I am today. It’s not magic.
It’s math.
If you want to learn more, check out Two Meal Muscle.
May the Gains be with you,
Ant