I don't buy into that kind of stuff... I think it's just another twist on the timeless "diet fad", in all honesty. I was (for about 5 years; not as much anymore) in fantastic shape, especially when I was able to bike AND hit the gym on a regular schedule. For years, I was always tall and skinny, which made me a great runner, but knee problems from skiing (bad landing at a Big Air competition) has kept me from running since I had surgery about four years ago (entire interior meniscus was flayed open like a fish fillet, so they had to remove 70% of my entire meniscus in my right knee). Thus, biking + gym.
I spent a ton of time trying this and that, different protein powders, supplements, workout routines, etc., all because I was a "hard gainer", or so I was told. When I started, I was 6'2" and 170lbs, and after 4 months, I was only up to 174lbs. It was bugging the carp out of me! I was lifting (at the gym) 4x a week for 1.5hrs/session, and biking 25miles/day 3 days/week. No matter what I did, even cutting out the biking, I wasn't gaining weight or "feeling" like I was in better shape.
So, I decided "screw this, none of this stuff is doing ANYTHING for me, so I'll try my own way". After 4 more months, I was at 182lbs and down by 2% body-fat. After 18 months, I was 208lbs and 5.2%BF total.
The trick:
1) EAT EAT EAT! I was aiming for 2g/protein per lb/bodyweight; that meant about 6 eggs a day, four chicken breasts, three protein shakes, a couple high-protein/only-complex-carb energy bars, etc. I was taking in about 3500kcal per day, and I wasn't restricting myself like I had been before, when I was really only getting about 2200kcal/day.
2) VARY YOUR WEIGHT/REPS/ETC! One day, do maybe 60% of your total weight for all exercises, but double your reps. Next session, go 90% of your weight for normal reps; then, 75% for 1.5x reps; then, 100% and rep until failure. I found that, at least for me, by constantly changing my routine and the way I worked out, I was able to work out through recovery periods and still gain; and I ended up gaining both weight and strength while losing body fat.
3) CARDIO IS NOT BAD! Everyone would tell me "biking 25mi/day is stupid if you're trying to gain!", but for me it was my favorite part of the week, riding 25mi on a forested bike trail alongside a river (usually took between 1.25-1.75hr). Again, I would vary my intensity; one mile I would just pedal normal (about 12-14mph), and the next I would push at about 75% total capacity, then two miles at regular speed, then half mile at 75%, etc; I always did the last leg in a full-out sprint (going 110%), and gradually the distance at which I could start that "sprint", it increased! YOUR HEART IS A MUSCLE! DON'T IGNORE IT!
As far as eating... Just read the label! So many people ignore everything they put into their bodies! But it is all right there on whatever you're opening/unwrapping.
Everyone knows high-fructose corn syrup is bad: don't eat it! Soda/pop? NO. Peanut Butter? YES. Chicken? I hope you love it... Chicken and Fish are the best things you can eat when trying to get into shape.
I managed to stay at 205-210lbs and 4.9-5.4% body fat for about 5 years, at which point my knees couldn't take it anymore and I learned I had degenerative joint disease, and learned it via my L5-S1 facet joint deteriorating and failing (joint between 5th lumbar vertebrae and first sacral vertebrae), allowing a nerve bundle, including my sciatic nerve, to slip outside the spinal column (they got "pushed" between the vertebrae, essentially). Excruciating pain, and I couldn't walk without a cane for an entire year; eventually, a nerve ablation made the pain go away 95% of the way, but apparently these procedures only last for 2-4 years... and it's been 3.
Blah, sorry for rambling. My apologies.
