ScotlandMark Taylor, despite consuming large amounts of starch, still maintains a toned physique, winning championships in many bodybuilding competitions.
Mark Taylor, a professional bodybuilder, spent decades training intensely and following a low-carb diet, but failed to win the top prize in Scotland. Everything changed when he started eating a lot of carbs, mainly from potatoes. This helped him develop the muscles he wanted and win the competitions he dreamed of.
In 2023, Taylor won the Mr Universe Masters over 45 championship, one of the largest bodybuilding competitions in the world. 10 years earlier, he won the titles Mr England, Mr United Kingdom, Mr Britain, and Mr World. According to Taylor, much of his success comes from eating potatoes.
This may surprise those who believe that carbs or starch are the “enemies” of weight loss. The anti-carb movement has existed in many forms for decades. However, as Taylor discovered, carbs are an important part of the diet, don’t always cause fat, and play a key role in building muscle.
Carbs provide energy and are stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver, serving as a readily available source of energy. When exercising, this amount of glycogen will be consumed, so consuming carbs after exercise helps refuel muscles. This not only helps the body have more strength to exercise more effectively, but also contributes to muscle building and development.
Mark Taylor has won many bodybuilding competitions thanks to his starch-rich diet. Image: Insider
Before that, Taylor followed a high-protein and limited-carb diet, a popular method in the bodybuilding world. He usually eats oatmeal in the morning and a small amount of rice, but mainly chicken and broccoli. Low-carb diets make men feel weak and exercise ineffectively.
The transformation started in 2014, when nutritionist Vicky McCann intervened and completely reformed his diet with 10 carb-rich meals (mains and snacks) per day. Specifically:
– 150 grams of oats
– 6 meals each including 300 grams of sweet potatoes and 100 grams of chicken in 1 meal
– 1 carb recovery drink
– 350 grams of white potatoes with 120 grams of chicken and broccoli
– 5 egg whites stir-fried with 1 whole egg
Even without calculating calories or macros (the nutritional ingredients in a dish, including the three most important parts: protein, starch, fat, often plus fiber), Taylor and McCann adjust their diet based on their needs. on body shape. Increasing carbs helps Taylor’s body have more energy for 5 training sessions per week. The amazing thing is that after 10 years, Taylor is still not tired of potatoes and the results are well worth it.
Taylor believes that maintaining a high carb intake helps him build large, firm muscles, while reducing carbs makes his body smaller and less toned. “It’s unbelievable the amount of food I consume and still maintain a toned body,” the man shared.