Yeah, the second part was aimed at Brian.

I've seen the "must eat every 3-4 hours" thing debunked. I've also seen the "can't eat before bed" thing debunked as well.

There are more and more people coming out and saying you can do both (cut fat and gain muscle) at the same time. A lot of it is hype and nonsense meant to make a quick buck. The only instances I've seen it back up by scientific research is when it's done by carb cycling or intermittent fasting. Both of which require very strict dieting and nutrition.

The six month thing refers to newbies who have never lifted weights before. The first six months you lift weights your body will burn fat and build muscle at the same time, regardless of diet. This is the only time in your life this happens naturally. It's well-documented.

I'm just very skeptical when it comes to the fitness niche. It's full of even more garbage than the dating niche and honestly many nutritionists and scientists still disagree on what's fact and what's fiction. So you really have to pick your way around it.

I would still tell a skinny newbie with little gym experience to bulk first. Newbies will lose fat while bulking anyway. Bulking also takes the least amount of discipline and gives the quickest noticeable results on a skinny guy to keep him motivated. If a guy can't bench press half of his own body weight, and is 18% BF, then going through all of the extra effort and stress to do both at once doesn't make much sense to me. Build a baseline of strength and muscle and then worry about body composition.

But like I said, I'm no expert.