hello everyone, i'm new here - FAT-adaptation OR stay on 60% CARBs ?

nutricaodua

I want to put ON weight as i am 177 (5'8'') and 120pounds .. (goal is 150lbs).
I'm a 37year old male. 5% body fat.. mostly vegan approach (daily eggs & some fish) and no gluten or dairy. (only homemade kefir).
I also, always do Int. Fasting normally 12/12.. or 10/14 windows.. and i stay on 60% Carbs organic unprocessed grains,..as i normally find it harder to digest Fats in order to do 2300-2500cals a day.

Any ideas as to wether i should
- try to be more fat-adapted and go 3meals/day,

OR

- stay on the 4meals/day with the current 60% Carbs approach ??


I'm finding it hard to put on weight or even being able to maintain the 600cals/meal.
2:30 to 3hs between meals seems to not be enough for digestion.


PS: I generally sleep 6hours/day, do Yoga every morning, and 3x/week weight work..normally dumb bells and bodyweight.

thanks

mph323

Hmmm, tough question I would stay with what's working for you digestion-wise, and try to add more calories to your meals without adding volume, especially if you have trouble digesting fats - even if you are able to become fat adapted, it sounds like it would be a miserable experience for you. If you are having trouble fitting all your calories into your current eating window, you might look at stretching it out a little - you have room to expand that with your sleep schedule. Maybe don't worry about your carb goals right now, and stick to focusing on protein goals. Try adding 100-200 calories of higher density foods like peanut butter and avocado and see if that settles OK in your stomach, it may be OK if you have more time to digest.

Just a few suggestions - hopefully others will come along with more/different ideas

Larkspur94

Nuts can help getting the calories up. If you are able to have them, just snack on them soon after a meal. Good Idea to measure them first to keep track of how many you have.
Do you not have meat at all? Since that's pretty calorie dense and the protein would help with the muscle weight gain. Otherwise, have fattier fish like salmon. Since you say you eat fish.
Just cooking things in butter can increase the calories (There are nut butters). Serving with cheese adds on, if it suits the dish. Not sure what dairy free cheese there is.

nutricaodua

hey!,
thanks so much for your replies/input mph323 and Larkspur94 .

Yes.. i have jumped into the more calorie-dense avocado and dry nuts.
I was able to make 3 meals, (over 1000cals), yesterday and the day before, with mixed/different results.

Actually it ends up going into very empiric territory :
.2days ago, i ate when i was hungry.
.yesterday i just timed the meals and ate accordingly to the clock. Bad turnout... specially because i had dinner WAY later than the day before.
I find that i can push it a little bit more, at the beginning of the day, at breakfast and specially lunch..without feeling too full, or foggy..specially with protein dosage.
But, it is hard to feel lighter in the afternoon workout , if i have too much fat, at lunch time.
I am really prone to digest Carbs really well.. so i rarely have problems there. Protein & Fat.. not so much..

mph323 wrote: »

Hmmm, tough question I would stay with what's working for you digestion-wise, and try to add more calories to your meals without adding volume <...>
Try adding 100-200 calories of higher density foods like peanut butter and avocado and see if that settles OK in your stomach, it may be OK if you have more time to digest.

Yeah.. i find it very hard to discern what the max quantity of avocado, or any kind of nut is.. normally.. but i have seen better results waiting over 4 hours between meals.
The thing is that.. i don't want to drop that 10-12hour mark for the time-restricted-eating window.. so.. waiting 4 to 5 hours between meals, due to the increase in calories from Fat.. pushes me towards a 3 meal/day approach.
That means going from 700-750cal meals.. to 900..1000cal meals.. which ends up being hard to manage, once again. hehehe
(insert dog chasing its tail, gif.. hehehe)

As for snacks.. i never have them. I'm completely anal about all of this..although serene about it.
I weigh everything ..
I usually stay off cheese because it combines well with hardly anything else i eat, digestion wise.

Gathering all knowledge acquired from the past year's experiences.. i am starting to conclude that it is all much more related to the time of day, you have the meal.. and the way you feel as you eat...as well as the way you chew, off course.
But..coming back to what launched the thread, here.. food combination is vital. And, off course..it is my digestion and gut-biome that determines the outcome.
I don't eat before Yoga&meditation because it disturbs the ability to focus, during meditation. So..i 'lose' another 2 to 3hours after getting up.

It really looks like i will have to increase cal. intake on both breakfast and lunch.. and have a solid..but not so heavy dinner.

Again, thanks very much for the input.
I'll come back here, with further data, in the days to come as i am

gonna try adding Sauerkraut&kimchi as well as some vinegar to my meals, as i suspect that.. with more fermentation, and specially more acidity, i might be able to upgrade my digestion performance.. and be able to shorten the time between meals_ i usually feel better (routine wise) with 4meals/day.