Re-comping but trying to make sense of macros / carb cycling / IF

abbynormalartist

I'm female, 33 years old, 5'5", 126lbs. I'm eating at maintenance at about 1600 calories. I've been lifting in the evenings 2-3 days a week with the StrongLifts 5x5 program for about 4 months now. I pay attention to calories and eat pretty healthy balanced meals, but haven't really paid attention to macros. My lifts are occasionally weak and I'm wondering if it's because of what I recently ate. In order to help my lifting and re-comp, what do you recommend as far as macros, carb cycling or intermittent fasting? I've been IF 16x8 for a few days and like how it fits in with my work schedule but I'm not sure if it helps or hurts my strength. My husband suggested carb cycling but I'm not sure I really understand how it would help. Suggestions very welcome! Thanks!

usmcmp

You don't need carb cycling or intermittent fasting to make progress, those are a personal preference type of thing. I'm guessing your real problem with feeling weak when lifting is that your calories are still too low. Unless you sit in a chair all day every day (even outside of work) I estimate your calories should be closer to 1800.

deannalfisher

personally, I carb cycle, but you dont' need it for maintenance - I just find that it works better for me (I have a high, medium and low carb day) - my high day normally coincides with a rest day, to help with glycogen replenishment (and doing cardio after a low day just sucks balls!)

sijomial

I haven't really paid attention to macros.
Me neither, not really that important at maintenance and not doing an extreme amount of exercise. Do you have any reason to think you are lacking in any way?

My lifts are occasionally weak and I'm wondering if it's because of what I recently ate.
Not seeing how that would work at all? You aren't really fuelling from what you just ate.

In order to help my lifting and re-comp, what do you recommend as far as macros.
Ones that allow you to eat an overall healthy and enjoyable long term diet.

Carb cycling
Don't see the point at all. You have plenty of carbs onboard already - enough for many, many hours of weight training.

Or intermittent fasting?
If that suits you then do it. No general advantage to it.

I've been IF 16x8 for a few days and like how it fits in with my work schedule but I'm not sure if it helps or hurts my strength.
Why would it? You are training in the evening so either in or just after your eating window.

My husband suggested carb cycling but I'm not sure I really understand how it would help.
Me neither. High carb day isn't going to achieve anything you couldn't achieve on a "normal carb" day and a low carb day could harm your training if it makes you feel less energised.

Personally I would look at your:

• Overall diet and especially calories.
• Recovery.
• Deload perhaps?
• Sleep.
• Stress.

PS - if you are feeling generally tired, weak and lethargic it could well be you could bump your calories up and still maintain. Worth experimenting.

abbynormalartist

Thanks! My thoughts added in bold below,

sijomial wrote: »

I haven't really paid attention to macros.
Me neither, not really that important at maintenance and not doing an extreme amount of exercise. Do you have any reason to think you are lacking in any way?
Since I've worked on my exercise the last few months, I wanted to tweak and improve my diet. Figured macros were the next thing to start to understand.

My lifts are occasionally weak and I'm wondering if it's because of what I recently ate.
Not seeing how that would work at all? You aren't really fuelling from what you just ate.
I also don't understand! I was wondering if working out before breaking my fast is doing my workouts a disservice, or if I was too low on carbs a day or two before my lifting day, if that might be why I was feeling weak. I'm trying to make connections to how my lifts feel and how I've been eating.

In order to help my lifting and re-comp, what do you recommend as far as macros.
Ones that allow you to eat an overall healthy and enjoyable long term diet.

Carb cycling
Don't see the point at all. You have plenty of carbs onboard already - enough for many, many hours of weight training.

Or intermittent fasting?
If that suits you then do it. No general advantage to it.

I've been IF 16x8 for a few days and like how it fits in with my work schedule but I'm not sure if it helps or hurts my strength.
Why would it? You are training in the evening so either in or just after your eating window.

My husband suggested carb cycling but I'm not sure I really understand how it would help.
Me neither. High carb day isn't going to achieve anything you couldn't achieve on a "normal carb" day and a low carb day could harm your training if it makes you feel less energised.

Personally I would look at your:

• Overall diet and especially calories.
• Recovery.
• Deload perhaps?
• Sleep.
• Stress.

PS - if you are feeling generally tired, weak and lethargic it could well be you could bump your calories up and still maintain. Worth experimenting.
Thinking this may be the way to go. I may bump up 200 calories to see if that helps. I originally wanted to lose a little weight but I'm starting to think that maintaining my weight but adding some muscle may really be what I'm looking for.

sijomial

I assumed you were training in your eating window - if training fasted that can take some getting used to.
Took me quite a few weeks to go from feeling all wobbly after an hour of gentle cardio or regular strength training when fasting to my workouts feeling just the same fed or fasted.

If you have been in a deficit for quite a while then a "diet break" could well recharge your batteries.

lorrpb

You can't make sense of carb cycling and IF because they don't make sense and aren't based on science. They're mental games, so do what helps you feel better and be most consistent without harming yourself.

LiftHeavyThings27105

I like to do cardio while fasted. Sure, there is no scientific advantage to do this. I mean, there is a small gain and a small loss to doing this. I just like the feel of it. So, it is more of a mental thing for me. A preference, if you will.

I do like IF but that, again, is more of a mental thing for me. There are lots and lots of studies on eating and the timing of eating and the number of meals eaten in a day and the number of hours between meals.....I suggest that you find what works best for you.

Carb Cycling - is effectively taking the total number of carbs that you would eat in a week (seven days) and distributing that total differently. So, instead of eating 200g of carbs a day you eat 300g of carbs on your two leg days but then eat only 160g of carbs the other five days.

I think that my math is correct....did it in my head in about five seconds....anyway, point is that you are eating more carbs on this and that day but then eating the corresponding fewer carbs on the other days....you are still consuming the same number of carbs in the week.....1400g of carbs....just a little bit more on 'leg day' and then a little bit less on the other days. I agree with the others....it is more of a mental thing and more of a preference.

I have tried - several times - to do my training fasted and I just can not do it. Not to brag or sound boastful, but I work out pretty hard. I get a head ache within three minutes. And, love the Strong Lift program. Or, better stated, did. I used to live in the 5x5 range.

Also, as someone else pointed out, recovery is a part of training. An important part!

And, I will second the concern about 'consuming enough calories for your details'. 1,600 Calories does appear to be a bit on the low side. Given your stats and your activity, that is. How did you determine that 1,600 Calories? And, you do not have a macro break-down? All good! What do you guess that you eat?

SmithsonianEmpress

I'm 33 yo, 5'5" and 135 lbs. I eat 1800 calories a day, lift twice a week and run 2/3 times a week. I can't even wrap my head around macros. If something is low in something it's high in something else. I don't even bother.