Philip Pape 0:00

The last weird Q&A was quite popular so I figured I would drop another one , and this is a completely unedited version of the podcast where I answer three off-the-wall weird questions about nutrition and training that , yes , you might have thought of before . So today , the first question is if you could choose only one macronutrient to focus on for the rest of your life , which would be the most important for physique and health ? Now I think you all know the simple answer to this Protein , protein , protein , right , protein would probably be the most important macro to focus on , aside from the fact that you can't live on any one macro for a long time without some serious health consequences , which kind of then defeats the purpose , if you will . But if we were to just focus on protein and why it's so important , we know it helps build and repair muscle , produces enzymes and hormones , supports immune function . It has all sorts of benefits you might not even have thought about . It tends to give people more energy , keeps them more full . In surprising ways , for your physique goals , it is essential right , it's essential for getting jacked , but it's more essential also for maintaining your muscle as we age and staving off muscle loss , growing that muscle as we age , and , especially if you're an active person , protein all the way , and we talked about satiety . We talked about fat loss and body composition being important as well , but if you neglect fats and carbs , you're going to probably get something they call protein poisoning , or I don't even remember the actual term because this is an unscripted podcast .

Philip Pape 1:33

I remember seeing an episode of I think it was called Survivorman years ago , where they dropped him into , I think , alaska or something like that , and he started just to eat protein and he was worried that he would die without having anything other than protein . So we know that an all-protein diet could lead to serious health issues , but if I had to choose one , it would be protein , and there we go . So that's the weird question number one . Weird question number two does eating spicy foods actually boost your metabolism enough to aid in fat loss ? And this is a really number one Weird question number two Does eating spicy foods actually boost your metabolism enough to aid in fat loss ? And this is a really common one people think about and ask about , because spicy foods , especially the ones that have capsaicin right , capsaicin is in chili peppers it does actually slightly increase your metabolic rate when you eat them , and that's a process called thermogenesis , right , your body burns a little bit more as it's generating heat as a response , kind of like an almost a defense mechanism or inflammatory response to the spice .

Philip Pape 2:34

But again , I'll say this every time a question like this comes up the effect is minimal , it is short lived , it is not anywhere close to enough to rely on for extra calories . I mean , same thing goes with coffee . Right now , if you drink a lot of it , if you eat a lot of spicy food all the time every day , maybe it has a little bit of a meaningful effect , like to the order of a few tens of calories . You know which is something right . More importantly is spicy food . Besides being in a bunch of delicious foods , it could reduce appetite slightly and then that could lead you to a little bit lower calorie intake . So always think of the multifaceted aspect of these things . I do love these questions , so I've thought about them . But if they're asked to get to like the magic pill or to get to like here's the one change that's going to unlock everything . No , I'm sorry , no , but if asked out of curiosity and then you find that there are other benefits , that's awesome . I think that is awesome , right . So , yeah , that's what my thought about . You know , bathing everything in hot sauce to burn a whole bunch of calories and see the fat melt off , all right .

Philip Pape 3:37

The last question is it possible to train yourself to need less sleep and still maintain optimal performance and health ? Now , you might be the type of person or you've heard the person that says , oh , I can live on four hours of sleep , or I can live on five hours of sleep , like I don't need more , I don't need seven or eight hours . And you know there are some people that can function better than others on less sleep . But it doesn't mean you don't need the seven , eight or even nine hours of sleep for optimal health and performance for you , right ? Just because you can doesn't mean you should .

Philip Pape 4:11

We know that chronic sleep deprivation leads to so many negative things . You know improved or impaired brain function , decreased athletic performance , you know imbalances with your hormones , a weaker immune system , you get sick more often , you have higher cravings , you eat more , you have more visceral belly fat , like on and on and on . So the assumption in this question is that you want an excuse to get away with less sleep and the answer is sorry . There is little evidence to suggest you can train your body to need less sleep or even adapt to it . Your body just needs what it needs . It needs all that energy .

Philip Pape 4:48

Now you might get used to being tired and not having very much energy , but that's not the same as being at your best right . So let's start prioritizing adequate sleep , quantity as well as quality , if you want the best recovery , if you want to lift weights and recover , if you want mental clarity and better overall well-being . All right , that is the three weird Q&A questions for today . Again , if you love these , send me a text message . There is a link in the show notes to do that . And again , I am Philip Pape . You're listening to Wits and Weights and I will talk to you next time .