Need advice on how to bulk/gain/maintain weight on low fat & low carb diet

btainted

I inherited a crappy disease. I have chronic pancreatitis and pre-diabetes. With chronic pancreatitis, I have to maintain a low fat diet to avoid attacks and low carb is recommend to prevent full blown diabetes.

Doc wants me to only consume 30-50 grams a fat a day

So far this has been a big help https://stanfordhealthcare.org/programs-services/nutrition-services/resources/nutrition-therapy-chronic-pancreatitis.html on what foods to avoid, but nothing on calories. If I followed their diet, I would lose weight rapidly.

Otherwise I am 32 year male old who can exercise and lift weights. I would like to consume 3,000-4,000 calories if possible. I am 6'0 and 175lbs. I would like to maintain my weight, it took over 4 years to get to 175lbs, I was 150lbs since high school. Only reason I got to 170 is because I avoided my docs advice, not a good idea. But now I am just skinny fat.

Any advice on diet plan please?

My weight training consist of squats, deadlifts, military press, barbell curls and push-ups.

supes18

First off change your exercise plan. More cardio will use the sugar in your body to allow your diabetes to stay in check. However, make sure you maintain your glucose numbers, you don't want to crash during exercise because of low blood glucose. Secondly A low carb and a low fat diet is near impossible. That means the body is not getting sufficient energy to perform metabolic functions. Such as keeping your pancreas and liver in check. I would recommend cycling days of higher carbs and higher fats. For example: Mondays allow yourself a higher carb day, while performing interval training and resistance training. Tuesdays (again for example) allow yourself more fats in your diet and make sure in addition to your resistance training, you perform a session of steady state cardio to tap into your fat stores for energy. A continual rotation of high carb and high fat days will allow your body adequate energy to perform exercise and maintain propoer metabolic functions. It might also fix your 'skinny fat' dilemma.

Good luck!

ndj1979

op - given your medical history you may want to take this up with your DR or certified nutrionist; rather, then a bunch of random internet people…

is your weight training program a home designed one or is it structured program like 5x5???

vismal

supes18 wrote: »

First off change your exercise plan. More cardio will use the sugar in your body to allow your diabetes to stay in check. However, make sure you maintain your glucose numbers, you don't want to crash during exercise because of low blood glucose. Secondly A low carb and a low fat diet is near impossible. That means the body is not getting sufficient energy to perform metabolic functions. Such as keeping your pancreas and liver in check. I would recommend cycling days of higher carbs and higher fats. For example: Mondays allow yourself a higher carb day, while performing interval training and resistance training. Tuesdays (again for example) allow yourself more fats in your diet and make sure in addition to your resistance training, you perform a session of steady state cardio to tap into your fat stores for energy. A continual rotation of high carb and high fat days will allow your body adequate energy to perform exercise and maintain propoer metabolic functions. It might also fix your 'skinny fat' dilemma.

Good luck!

This is not great advice. The guy can't have high carb or high fat days. He said so specifically. Even if he could, cycling macro nutrients really doesn't accomplish much. For most people, its the same as if they ate the average each day. Why all the cardio. He's going to have a lot of trouble getting in enough calories as it is with his restrictions. He's trying to gain weight. Cardio is probably the worst possible thing for his situation. I rarely tell anyone to do no cardio at all but his specific set of circumstances might warrant it.

OP: You are going to need to talk this one over with both your doctor and a registered dietitian. To eat enough calories to gain weight, while eating no more then 50 grams of fat, and keeping carbs low is going to be difficult and require quite a bit of protein intake. If you kept fat at 50 and carbs at 150 you'd only be at 1050 calories. To get to 3000 you'd need nearly 490 grams of protein. I don't see that as possible or healthy. And 3000 was the low end of your range. What I would inquire from the doctor and nutritionist is exactly how low carb you need to go if you explain you will be exercising and your goal is to gain some weight in the form of lean muscle. I'd honestly be interested to hear what a professional would recommend in your unique circumstance. I'd also consider seeing an endocrinologist vs a general family doctor for an expert opinion.

DopeItUp

vismal wrote: »

supes18 wrote: »

First off change your exercise plan. More cardio will use the sugar in your body to allow your diabetes to stay in check. However, make sure you maintain your glucose numbers, you don't want to crash during exercise because of low blood glucose. Secondly A low carb and a low fat diet is near impossible. That means the body is not getting sufficient energy to perform metabolic functions. Such as keeping your pancreas and liver in check. I would recommend cycling days of higher carbs and higher fats. For example: Mondays allow yourself a higher carb day, while performing interval training and resistance training. Tuesdays (again for example) allow yourself more fats in your diet and make sure in addition to your resistance training, you perform a session of steady state cardio to tap into your fat stores for energy. A continual rotation of high carb and high fat days will allow your body adequate energy to perform exercise and maintain propoer metabolic functions. It might also fix your 'skinny fat' dilemma.

Good luck!

This is not great advice. The guy can't have high carb or high fat days. He said so specifically. Even if he could, cycling macro nutrients really doesn't accomplish much. For most people, its the same as if they ate the average each day. Why all the cardio. He's going to have a lot of trouble getting in enough calories as it is with his restrictions. He's trying to gain weight. Cardio is probably the worst possible thing for his situation. I rarely tell anyone to do no cardio at all but his specific set of circumstances might warrant it.

OP: You are going to need to talk this one over with both your doctor and a registered dietitian. To eat enough calories to gain weight, while eating no more then 50 grams of fat, and keeping carbs low is going to be difficult and require quite a bit of protein intake. If you kept fat at 50 and carbs at 150 you'd only be at 1050 calories. To get to 3000 you'd need nearly 490 grams of protein. I don't see that as possible or healthy. And 3000 was the low end of your range. What I would inquire from the doctor and nutritionist is exactly how low carb you need to go if you explain you will be exercising and your goal is to gain some weight in the form of lean muscle. I'd honestly be interested to hear what a professional would recommend in your unique circumstance. I'd also consider seeing an endocrinologist vs a general family doctor for an expert opinion.

I was thinking the same thing. And if you get to 500g of protein daily, I'd honestly start to worry about kidney function. That's a lot of protein for a 175lb person. Not to mention, you'd need to eat something like 5lbs of meat (or equivalent) a day. Every day.

I don't have any real advice other than to seek out an expert nutritionist or something along those lines. It's going to be nigh impossible unless you can sneak in carbs or fat at some point (optimal meal timing around/during workouts perhaps?).

se015

Diet: Yea pre diabetes? Well it's hard for carbs, which is what you need to help gain weight. Your best friend will be FAT, FAT, FAT. Idk how a high fat diet works with pancreatitis though...I'm sure you take pancreatic enzymes on a daily basis. You really should consult your doctor about this. Protein should be no more than your body weight. So if you're 175 lbs, I'd say 200 g is stretching it. No need for more, not going to make muscle grow bigger or faster by eating excessive protein.

Training: I like that you do squats providing you're doing proper form, don't need injuries, but you do need to do heavy weights and rep range should be 4-8 per set. You can even do leg press instead of squats, although that is a whole debate in itself. "My weight training consist of squats, deadlifts, military press, barbell curls and push-ups." Eliminate push-ups, why are you doing push ups? That's a conditioning exercise, not really one for producing size in my opnion. You need to lift heavy to get big, period.

You should be doing Bench Press for chest, whether it's dumbbells or Bar bell or even a smith machine if you want to be on the safe side, again another debate for another time. But either way do that, not pushups. Also WEIGHTED Dips and WEIGHTED Pull ups. You're also not doing any ROWS? Need to do some type of Row whether it's bar row, DB row, Low row, etc...Barbell curls, those are great, but shouldn't be a big part of your work out program. You need to do more back exercises, pull ups, lat pull downs, and rows are great! Deads, squats, and military press, keep doing those!

ndj1979

Seth1825 wrote: »

Diet: Yea pre diabetes? Well it's hard for carbs, which is what you need to help gain weight. Your best friend will be FAT, FAT, FAT. Idk how a high fat diet works with pancreatitis though...I'm sure you take pancreatic enzymes on a daily basis. You really should consult your doctor about this. Protein should be no more than your body weight. So if you're 175 lbs, I'd say 200 g is stretching it. No need for more, not going to make muscle grow bigger or faster by eating excessive protein.

Training: I like that you do squats providing you're doing proper form, don't need injuries, but you do need to do heavy weights and rep range should be 4-8 per set. You can even do leg press instead of squats, although that is a whole debate in itself. "My weight training consist of squats, deadlifts, military press, barbell curls and push-ups." Eliminate push-ups, why are you doing push ups? That's a conditioning exercise, not really one for producing size in my opnion. You need to lift heavy to get big, period.

You should be doing Bench Press for chest, whether it's dumbbells or Bar bell or even a smith machine if you want to be on the safe side, again another debate for another time. But either way do that, not pushups. Also WEIGHTED Dips and WEIGHTED Pull ups. You're also not doing any ROWS? Need to do some type of Row whether it's bar row, DB row, Low row, etc...Barbell curls, those are great, but shouldn't be a big part of your work out program. You need to do more back exercises, pull ups, lat pull downs, and rows are great! Deads, squats, and military press, keep doing those!

did you miss the part where OP says he can't eat high fat because of a medical condition?????

Tedebearduff

ndj1979 wrote: »

op - given your medical history you may want to take this up with your DR or certified nutrionist; rather, then a bunch of random internet people…

is your weight training program a home designed one or is it structured program like 5x5???

Best piece of advice I've ever seen you post!

Edit: Seriously brother go speak with your doctor

se015

ndj1979 wrote: »

Seth1825 wrote: »

Diet: Yea pre diabetes? Well it's hard for carbs, which is what you need to help gain weight. Your best friend will be FAT, FAT, FAT. Idk how a high fat diet works with pancreatitis though...I'm sure you take pancreatic enzymes on a daily basis. You really should consult your doctor about this. Protein should be no more than your body weight. So if you're 175 lbs, I'd say 200 g is stretching it. No need for more, not going to make muscle grow bigger or faster by eating excessive protein.

Training: I like that you do squats providing you're doing proper form, don't need injuries, but you do need to do heavy weights and rep range should be 4-8 per set. You can even do leg press instead of squats, although that is a whole debate in itself. "My weight training consist of squats, deadlifts, military press, barbell curls and push-ups." Eliminate push-ups, why are you doing push ups? That's a conditioning exercise, not really one for producing size in my opnion. You need to lift heavy to get big, period.

You should be doing Bench Press for chest, whether it's dumbbells or Bar bell or even a smith machine if you want to be on the safe side, again another debate for another time. But either way do that, not pushups. Also WEIGHTED Dips and WEIGHTED Pull ups. You're also not doing any ROWS? Need to do some type of Row whether it's bar row, DB row, Low row, etc...Barbell curls, those are great, but shouldn't be a big part of your work out program. You need to do more back exercises, pull ups, lat pull downs, and rows are great! Deads, squats, and military press, keep doing those!

did you miss the part where OP says he can't eat high fat because of a medical condition????? [/quote

Lol true ok well I think my other advice helps?

Charliegottheruns

I would get a second opinion from another doctor. There's missing information.
Good luck

kmblank

Definitely talk to your doctor and a Registered Dietitian. Depending on what your blood glucose levels are and your target range, will determine how many carbs you can have with each meal. Plus with your activity, that will also change your numbers. At first it will take some trial and error to figure out what's best for you.

ndj1979

Seth1825 wrote: »

ndj1979 wrote: »

Seth1825 wrote: »

Diet: Yea pre diabetes? Well it's hard for carbs, which is what you need to help gain weight. Your best friend will be FAT, FAT, FAT. Idk how a high fat diet works with pancreatitis though...I'm sure you take pancreatic enzymes on a daily basis. You really should consult your doctor about this. Protein should be no more than your body weight. So if you're 175 lbs, I'd say 200 g is stretching it. No need for more, not going to make muscle grow bigger or faster by eating excessive protein.

Training: I like that you do squats providing you're doing proper form, don't need injuries, but you do need to do heavy weights and rep range should be 4-8 per set. You can even do leg press instead of squats, although that is a whole debate in itself. "My weight training consist of squats, deadlifts, military press, barbell curls and push-ups." Eliminate push-ups, why are you doing push ups? That's a conditioning exercise, not really one for producing size in my opnion. You need to lift heavy to get big, period.

You should be doing Bench Press for chest, whether it's dumbbells or Bar bell or even a smith machine if you want to be on the safe side, again another debate for another time. But either way do that, not pushups. Also WEIGHTED Dips and WEIGHTED Pull ups. You're also not doing any ROWS? Need to do some type of Row whether it's bar row, DB row, Low row, etc...Barbell curls, those are great, but shouldn't be a big part of your work out program. You need to do more back exercises, pull ups, lat pull downs, and rows are great! Deads, squats, and military press, keep doing those!

did you miss the part where OP says he can't eat high fat because of a medical condition????? [/quote

Lol true ok well I think my other advice helps?

that is why I only bolded the high fat part...

tennisdude2004

Best advice!!! - get advice from a certified dietitian or specialist Doctor.

With your health issue, probably best not to take the suck it and see approach.

Good luck.