Carbs for lean muscle gain
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leanmuscleway
Posts: 72 Member
hi.
anyone found any ratio's that seem to work well for them? Obviously everybody is different but i guess there are some approximate ratios that work well? I can get in good amounts of fats and protein a day but i'm always unsure on carbs as i always feel i will gain body fat if i up my quantity of them too much. Maybe i should carb cycle? I have currently set my diary settings on a ratio of Protein/Carbs/Fat 40% 30% 30% and am often under my carb goal for the day.
anyone found any ratio's that seem to work well for them? Obviously everybody is different but i guess there are some approximate ratios that work well? I can get in good amounts of fats and protein a day but i'm always unsure on carbs as i always feel i will gain body fat if i up my quantity of them too much. Maybe i should carb cycle? I have currently set my diary settings on a ratio of Protein/Carbs/Fat 40% 30% 30% and am often under my carb goal for the day.
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Replies
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First of all, carbs don't make you fat. Get over that idea.
Second, if you want to gain muscle, you need to gain weight. Some of that weight will be from fat, it's unavoidable.
Third, this is pretty much a text book case for IIFYM. The real IIFYM, not the bastardized MFP version where people think it's an excuse to eat whatever they want.0 -
First of all, carbs don't make you fat. Get over that idea.
Second, if you want to gain muscle, you need to gain weight. Some of that weight will be from fat, it's unavoidable.
Third, this is pretty much a text book case for IIFYM. The real IIFYM, not the bastardized MFP version where people think it's an excuse to eat whatever they want.
This made my day. Thank you.0 -
So I can't eat whatever I want?First of all, carbs don't make you fat. Get over that idea.
Second, if you want to gain muscle, you need to gain weight. Some of that weight will be from fat, it's unavoidable.
Third, this is pretty much a text book case for IIFYM. The real IIFYM, not the bastardized MFP version where people think it's an excuse to eat whatever they want.
As I've said a million times. Conflicting advice conflicts.
Are you intentionally splitting hairs?
You can do whatever you want... but IIFYM, as it was originally "designed" is very intentional/purposeful. It's not a dietary free-for-all.
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Not splitting hairs. You'll just read in one thread, "Eat pizza and ice cream. It's fine." In another you'll read something else.
So I can't eat whatever I want?First of all, carbs don't make you fat. Get over that idea.
Second, if you want to gain muscle, you need to gain weight. Some of that weight will be from fat, it's unavoidable.
Third, this is pretty much a text book case for IIFYM. The real IIFYM, not the bastardized MFP version where people think it's an excuse to eat whatever they want. As I've said a million times. Conflicting advice conflicts.
Are you intentionally splitting hairs?
You can do whatever you want... but IIFYM, as it was originally "designed" is very intentional/purposeful. It's not a dietary free-for-all.
Welcome to MFP, where context goes to die.0 -
So eat more carbs and make sure carbs are complex to keep any body fat increase to minimum?0
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A lot of this will be personal preference, which I can't answer for you. But generally speaking...
- Eat a proper NUMBER of calories. Your intake will determine how much you gain and how quickly you gain it. This will be the greatest factor in how much fat you gain while you bulk.
- Eat to maximize your workouts. This is the whole point of IIFYM - to maximize your performance in the gym, and thus, the progress you make towards your goals. This is also where you'll have to figure out what you respond to best. Higher carbs is *generally* a good thing for energy levels/performance, but where those carbs come from can matter. So can the timing of calories (i.e. when you eat). Fat and protein sources can matter too. I suggest keeping a detailed log of food and workout performance to help identify trends over time. I've had good luck with Ben and Jerry's the night before, but YMMV.
- Stop overthinking it and go lift some weight. You can't predict everything.
* footnote - if you can't do those things in a way that you can sustain, then you're swimming against the current. Don't lose sight of the bigger picture.0 -
Not splitting hairs. You'll just read in one thread, "Eat pizza and ice cream. It's fine." In another you'll read something else.
So I can't eat whatever I want?First of all, carbs don't make you fat. Get over that idea.
Second, if you want to gain muscle, you need to gain weight. Some of that weight will be from fat, it's unavoidable.
Third, this is pretty much a text book case for IIFYM. The real IIFYM, not the bastardized MFP version where people think it's an excuse to eat whatever they want. As I've said a million times. Conflicting advice conflicts.
Are you intentionally splitting hairs?
You can do whatever you want... but IIFYM, as it was originally "designed" is very intentional/purposeful. It's not a dietary free-for-all.
Welcome to MFP, where context goes to die.
In complete agreement with jacksonpt. There is a lot of advice giving up here and a lot of it you have to take with a grain of salt because everyone is speaking from what has worked for them. Unfortunately, what works for someone else may not work for another person. Then you just have people posting stuff with lack of knowledge and trollers
IMO, whether you are trying to gain, maintain, or lose weight, you have have to figure out necessary daily numbers (calories, protein, fats, carbs) that would work for you in order to reach your goals. I have altered my MFP to match IIFYM. The whole concept of "Eat pizza and ice cream. It's fine" works as long as it is within your daily numbers (portion control is a term used a lot). As noted before, this is all my opinion and what has worked for me.0 -
i do lift weight already, i have been for around 5yrs now and have gained just under 20lbs. My problem at the moment with eating before workout is my only time for 6 days of the week to workout is from 4-5am, so much of a meal before this doesn't work for me. This could be why i have plateaued recently even though i'm eating between 2900 and 3200 calories a day.0
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leanmuscleway wrote: »So eat more carbs and make sure carbs are complex to keep any body fat increase to minimum?
"complex" carbs won't magically make you gain lean muscle. As was stated above, your caloric surplus will determine your bulk, genetics will determine the rate of fat gain to muscle gain. As @jacksonpt stated, fat gain is unavoidable if you want to put on muscle. If you want to try to gain as little fat as possible, then you can lean bulk (200-300+ calories over maintenance), but understand that muscle gain in general is a slow process (dependent on training experience and age).
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lpendleton58 wrote: »
Not splitting hairs. You'll just read in one thread, "Eat pizza and ice cream. It's fine." In another you'll read something else.
So I can't eat whatever I want?First of all, carbs don't make you fat. Get over that idea.
Second, if you want to gain muscle, you need to gain weight. Some of that weight will be from fat, it's unavoidable.
Third, this is pretty much a text book case for IIFYM. The real IIFYM, not the bastardized MFP version where people think it's an excuse to eat whatever they want. As I've said a million times. Conflicting advice conflicts.
Are you intentionally splitting hairs?
You can do whatever you want... but IIFYM, as it was originally "designed" is very intentional/purposeful. It's not a dietary free-for-all.
Welcome to MFP, where context goes to die.
In complete agreement with jacksonpt. There is a lot of advice giving up here and a lot of it you have to take with a grain of salt because everyone is speaking from what has worked for them. Unfortunately, what works for someone else may not work for another person. Then you just have people posting stuff with lack of knowledge and trollers
IMO, whether you are trying to gain, maintain, or lose weight, you have have to figure out necessary daily numbers (calories, protein, fats, carbs) that would work for you in order to reach your goals. I have altered my MFP to match IIFYM. The whole concept of "Eat pizza and ice cream. It's fine" works as long as it is within your daily numbers (portion control is a term used a lot). As noted before, this is all my opinion and what has worked for me.
The missing context here is the fact that if pizza and ice cream made you lethargic, not sleep well, or had some other negative impact on your gym performance, then strictly speaking it would NOT be OK, and would NOT fit in the IIFYM approach. Again, IIFYM is not a dietary free-for-all. It's intentional and strategic wit the goal of maximizing workouts to maximize gains.0 -
leanmuscleway wrote: »i do lift weight already, i have been for around 5yrs now and have gained just under 20lbs. My problem at the moment with eating before workout is my only time for 6 days of the week to workout is from 4-5am, so much of a meal before this doesn't work for me. This could be why i have plateaued recently even though i'm eating between 2900 and 3200 calories a day.
Plateaued how? Not gaining weight?
Eating before a workout shouldn't have any impact on your ability to gain weight. Though, as I eluded to before, if you're workouts suffer because of it, then don't ignore that fact. However, it's likely NOT the reason you stopped gaining.0 -
Yes - i never gained weight fast which suited me really - but usually would expect to see 2-3lbs up most months and some size gains on measurements but the last 3 months its all stayed still. I do 6 workouts a week and vary them every 3-4 months.0
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When was the last time you increased calories? Are you confident with your logging... i.e. when you say you're eating 2900-3200 per day are you sure you're really eating that?0
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leanmuscleway wrote: »Yes - i never gained weight fast which suited me really - but usually would expect to see 2-3lbs up most months and some size gains on measurements but the last 3 months its all stayed still. I do 6 workouts a week and vary them every 3-4 months.
If you're not gaining weight, you're not in a surplus. Eat more, and do so consistently.0 -
Bumping to read this later0
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When was the last time you increased calories? Are you confident with your logging... i.e. when you say you're eating 2900-3200 per day are you sure you're really eating that?
Yeh i'm pretty sure with my food - i either measure it out in weight or in cups and pack it all up the night before as i'm out all day. I guess i need to play around with adding 100 or so extra calories on for a few days to see the reaction and add more as i go?
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