Carbs vs fats
jessica2021624
Posts: 18 Member
Can someone please tell me the importance of carbs over fats? Why would a high carb high protein diet work for some people trying to lose weight?
Background info: I recently spoke with a personal trainer who suggested I consume 137:137:30g (protein carbs fat) at 1300 calories to lose weight (10 pounds) and gain moderate muscle.
I’ve been eating like this for nearly 2 weeks and I’ve gained weight in my face and arms. I also feel exhausted even after consuming healthy carbs.
Background info: I recently spoke with a personal trainer who suggested I consume 137:137:30g (protein carbs fat) at 1300 calories to lose weight (10 pounds) and gain moderate muscle.
I’ve been eating like this for nearly 2 weeks and I’ve gained weight in my face and arms. I also feel exhausted even after consuming healthy carbs.
0
Replies
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30 grams of fat sounds very low, especially for women. Fat is an essential nutrient, necessary for brain health, regulating hormones,... Carbs are not an essential nutrient.
High protein is a good idea to promote muscle gain, although it might not need to be as high as 137gr.
I'd definitely try increasing fat if you aren't feeling good following this trainer's plan.
If you're feeling exhausted, it could also just be a lack of food, 1300 calories seems low to me (without knowing your stats).7 -
jessica2021624 wrote: »Can someone please tell me the importance of carbs over fats? Why would a high carb high protein diet work for some people trying to lose weight?
Background info: I recently spoke with a personal trainer who suggested I consume 137:137:30g (protein carbs fat) at 1300 calories to lose weight (10 pounds) and gain moderate muscle.
I’ve been eating like this for nearly 2 weeks and I’ve gained weight in my face and arms. I also feel exhausted even after consuming healthy carbs.
For one, your macro breakdown really isn't going to matter much for weight loss or weight management in general. To me, dietary fat seems low...carbs seem just fine and 137 grams of carbs is not a lot. Generally 130 grams or less is considered "low carb". Carbs are an exceptional energy source though and many people who train, especially endurance, eat higher carb diets. Protein is likely excessively high...but it's all the rage right now so trainers and everyone else under the sun is pumping protein, protein, protein, and more protein...don't get me wrong, it's very important...but you also reach the point of just making expensive glucose and piss.
Most trainers are not remotely qualified to give nutritional advise and it is also illegal for them to do so in many states unless they are actually a registered dietician as well. A trainers specialty is exercise, not diet. Most trainers have little to no formal training or education on nutrition...they just spout off whatever the latest and greatest bro-science is out there.9 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »jessica2021624 wrote: »Can someone please tell me the importance of carbs over fats? Why would a high carb high protein diet work for some people trying to lose weight?
Background info: I recently spoke with a personal trainer who suggested I consume 137:137:30g (protein carbs fat) at 1300 calories to lose weight (10 pounds) and gain moderate muscle.
I’ve been eating like this for nearly 2 weeks and I’ve gained weight in my face and arms. I also feel exhausted even after consuming healthy carbs.
For one, your macro breakdown really isn't going to matter much for weight loss or weight management in general. To me, dietary fat seems low...carbs seem just fine and 137 grams of carbs is not a lot. Generally 130 grams or less is considered "low carb". Carbs are an exceptional energy source though and many people who train, especially endurance, eat higher carb diets. Protein is likely excessively high...but it's all the rage right now so trainers and everyone else under the sun is pumping protein, protein, protein, and more protein...don't get me wrong, it's very important...but you also reach the point of just making expensive glucose and piss.
Most trainers are not remotely qualified to give nutritional advise and it is also illegal for them to do so in many states unless they are actually a registered dietician as well. A trainers specialty is exercise, not diet. Most trainers have little to no formal training or education on nutrition...they just spout off whatever the latest and greatest bro-science is out there.
So if the macro breakdown doesn’t matter much, are you implying the issue is in activity or intensity?
The trainer is a successful competitor in women’s natural body building and is also a nutrition specialist. We’re about the same height and she is absolutely shredded but I’m def not trying to get on her level right now.
I’m also not as active as she is. For reference I’m 5’5” 122 lbs and have a really small frame. I have a desk job and do 30-45 mins weight training 4-5x week. I also take walks during breaks and will salsa dance and freestyle throughout the week for cardio.0 -
jessica2021624 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »jessica2021624 wrote: »Can someone please tell me the importance of carbs over fats? Why would a high carb high protein diet work for some people trying to lose weight?
Background info: I recently spoke with a personal trainer who suggested I consume 137:137:30g (protein carbs fat) at 1300 calories to lose weight (10 pounds) and gain moderate muscle.
I’ve been eating like this for nearly 2 weeks and I’ve gained weight in my face and arms. I also feel exhausted even after consuming healthy carbs.
For one, your macro breakdown really isn't going to matter much for weight loss or weight management in general. To me, dietary fat seems low...carbs seem just fine and 137 grams of carbs is not a lot. Generally 130 grams or less is considered "low carb". Carbs are an exceptional energy source though and many people who train, especially endurance, eat higher carb diets. Protein is likely excessively high...but it's all the rage right now so trainers and everyone else under the sun is pumping protein, protein, protein, and more protein...don't get me wrong, it's very important...but you also reach the point of just making expensive glucose and piss.
Most trainers are not remotely qualified to give nutritional advise and it is also illegal for them to do so in many states unless they are actually a registered dietician as well. A trainers specialty is exercise, not diet. Most trainers have little to no formal training or education on nutrition...they just spout off whatever the latest and greatest bro-science is out there.
So if the macro breakdown doesn’t matter much, are you implying the issue is in activity or intensity?
The trainer is a successful competitor in women’s natural body building and is also a nutrition specialist. We’re about the same height and she is absolutely shredded but I’m def not trying to get on her level right now.
I’m also not as active as she is. For reference I’m 5’5” 122 lbs and have a really small frame. I have a desk job and do 30-45 mins weight training 4-5x week. I also take walks during breaks and will salsa dance and freestyle throughout the week for cardio.
That would explain her macro preferences...those are very typical of a bodybuilder or bikini competitor or fitness model as they typically amp up the protein, do moderate carbs, and pretty low on dietary fat.
If by "issue" you are talking about weight loss...that comes down to calories (energy). You can eat Twinkies all day (it has actually been done) and lose weight so long as your calories in are less than your total calories out (that's everything, not just exercise).
If you've gained some weight in your face and arms, it could very possibly just be bloat (water) for a myriad of reasons. TOM, more salt than normal, higher carbs than normal, new training regimen, etc.3 -
jessica2021624 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »jessica2021624 wrote: »Can someone please tell me the importance of carbs over fats? Why would a high carb high protein diet work for some people trying to lose weight?
Background info: I recently spoke with a personal trainer who suggested I consume 137:137:30g (protein carbs fat) at 1300 calories to lose weight (10 pounds) and gain moderate muscle.
I’ve been eating like this for nearly 2 weeks and I’ve gained weight in my face and arms. I also feel exhausted even after consuming healthy carbs.
For one, your macro breakdown really isn't going to matter much for weight loss or weight management in general. To me, dietary fat seems low...carbs seem just fine and 137 grams of carbs is not a lot. Generally 130 grams or less is considered "low carb". Carbs are an exceptional energy source though and many people who train, especially endurance, eat higher carb diets. Protein is likely excessively high...but it's all the rage right now so trainers and everyone else under the sun is pumping protein, protein, protein, and more protein...don't get me wrong, it's very important...but you also reach the point of just making expensive glucose and piss.
Most trainers are not remotely qualified to give nutritional advise and it is also illegal for them to do so in many states unless they are actually a registered dietician as well. A trainers specialty is exercise, not diet. Most trainers have little to no formal training or education on nutrition...they just spout off whatever the latest and greatest bro-science is out there.
So if the macro breakdown doesn’t matter much, are you implying the issue is in activity or intensity?
The trainer is a successful competitor in women’s natural body building and is also a nutrition specialist. We’re about the same height and she is absolutely shredded but I’m def not trying to get on her level right now.
I’m also not as active as she is. For reference I’m 5’5” 122 lbs and have a really small frame. I have a desk job and do 30-45 mins weight training 4-5x week. I also take walks during breaks and will salsa dance and freestyle throughout the week for cardio.
You could be tired because 1300 is too low for you, depending on your steps and amount of cardio -- Assuming moderate exercise and age 30, I get a TDEE estimate of 1867, which would make 1300 1+ lb/week (pretty high if you are trying to gain muscle and since you are already well within the healthy BMI zone, in fact are BMI 20), but it could be even more if you walk a bunch and are also burning cals from dancing and such.
You also could be tired if you've recently increased the weight training and/or aren't letting yourself recover between sessions, and that could also explain water weight gain.
On the macros, it could also be explained by cutting back on both carbs and fat (neither seems particularly high -- 30% fat is more like 43+ g, and 137 g carbs would be considered somewhat lower carb) while increasing protein so much -- to a number that frankly doesn't make sense for a 122 lb woman. Usually a good recommendation for losing weight + exercising is more like 0.8 g per lb or around 98 g. I'd raise your fat for sure, and maybe your carbs and cut protein back. Your energy sources are going to be fat and carbs (with carbs great for supporting weight training and other exercise).
On the other hand, if you wanted to try low carb, I'd warn that there will be a bit of an adjustment period where people often have less energy, and I would still cut down on protein some and of course up on fat.5 -
That seems like a really low calorie goal to me, too: I'm 5'5", 125 pounds, age 65 . . . 1300 calories gross intake would be utterly punitive for me. I admit I'm a mysteriously good li'l ol' calorie burner, but even at 150+ pounds 1200+all exercise calories (so more like 1500-1600 gross intake) was way too low, felt OK at first but I hit a wall, got weak and fatigued, took multiple weeks to recover.
I haven't had a problem at 100g protein, 50g fat as minimums (though it was a bit less than that while I was losing). I don't worry about carbs at all (experientially, I'm not very sensitive to carb level within the range I eat to balance calories - usually been 150g or so during loss, 200+ in maintenance). 100P-150C-50F would be 1450 calories.
IMO, we don't need more than 1g protein per pound of lean body mass, though more isn't harmful.
If your goal is muscle gain, Examine.com's research based calculator suggests 89 would be optimal as a minimum for you, but up to 133g could provide additional benefits, based on limited evidence, FWIW.
https://examine.com/nutrition/protein-intake-calculator/
https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/3 -
I've done a couple bodybuilding preps and I never got below 0.3g fat per pound of bodyweight, and even at that level it was short-term.
I'm a big fan of Renaissance Periodization and in their Minicut Manual (minicuts are no longer than 6 weeks) they have this to say (copied & pasted directly):
To generate your deficit and make adjustments on a minicut, cut fats until you get to around 0.3g of fat per pound of bodyweight per day. Do not cut fats any lower than this, because you will need them for hormonal support and other basic functions.4 -
Think you really need to reconsider the overall calorie allowance first - agonising on the macro split of an inadequate calorie level is looking in the wrong place IMHO.
1300 for someone without much weight to lose and exercising quite a lot sounds very, very low to me.
"Why would a high carb high protein diet work for some people trying to lose weight?" - Because it puts them in a calorie deficit!
But "works" really also needs to be sustainable for an individual. Do you want to feel exhausted and have your workouts drag for the duration of your 10lb loss or do you want to feel good and train well for perhaps a longer duration?
Also beware that the goal of an "absolutely shredded" bodybuilder and your stated goal of "gain moderate muscle" could well be very different - the first is to show existing muscle by getting very lean and your goal needs the support of a very modest deficit while losing weight.
Another thing to take into account springs from this description of your typical week:
" I have a desk job and do 30-45 mins weight training 4-5x week. I also take walks during breaks and will salsa dance and freestyle throughout the week for cardio."
If setting a calorie goal using the MyFitnessPal method you might pick sedentary (but your walks could easily push you up a level) but you would add your exercise on top of the base calorie goal.
If using an average TDEE calculator you would have to pick an activity level that took all your exercise into account.
5 -
jessica2021624 wrote: »Can someone please tell me the importance of carbs over fats? Why would a high carb high protein diet work for some people trying to lose weight?
Background info: I recently spoke with a personal trainer who suggested I consume 137:137:30g (protein carbs fat) at 1300 calories to lose weight (10 pounds) and gain moderate muscle.
I’ve been eating like this for nearly 2 weeks and I’ve gained weight in my face and arms. I also feel exhausted even after consuming healthy carbs.
Macros only help people lose weight indirectly. If people eat a macro balance they find filling, they are more likely to comply with a calorie amount that creates a deficit.
40% protein is one thing for women’s natural body building competitors but unnecessarily high for you.1 -
jessica2021624 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »jessica2021624 wrote: »Can someone please tell me the importance of carbs over fats? Why would a high carb high protein diet work for some people trying to lose weight?
Background info: I recently spoke with a personal trainer who suggested I consume 137:137:30g (protein carbs fat) at 1300 calories to lose weight (10 pounds) and gain moderate muscle.
I’ve been eating like this for nearly 2 weeks and I’ve gained weight in my face and arms. I also feel exhausted even after consuming healthy carbs.
For one, your macro breakdown really isn't going to matter much for weight loss or weight management in general. To me, dietary fat seems low...carbs seem just fine and 137 grams of carbs is not a lot. Generally 130 grams or less is considered "low carb". Carbs are an exceptional energy source though and many people who train, especially endurance, eat higher carb diets. Protein is likely excessively high...but it's all the rage right now so trainers and everyone else under the sun is pumping protein, protein, protein, and more protein...don't get me wrong, it's very important...but you also reach the point of just making expensive glucose and piss.
Most trainers are not remotely qualified to give nutritional advise and it is also illegal for them to do so in many states unless they are actually a registered dietician as well. A trainers specialty is exercise, not diet. Most trainers have little to no formal training or education on nutrition...they just spout off whatever the latest and greatest bro-science is out there.
So if the macro breakdown doesn’t matter much, are you implying the issue is in activity or intensity?
The trainer is a successful competitor in women’s natural body building and is also a nutrition specialist. We’re about the same height and she is absolutely shredded but I’m def not trying to get on her level right now.
I’m also not as active as she is. For reference I’m 5’5” 122 lbs and have a really small frame. I have a desk job and do 30-45 mins weight training 4-5x week. I also take walks during breaks and will salsa dance and freestyle throughout the week for cardio.
If you use the MFP method, you'd set yourself as sedentary and your weekly weight loss goal to a half pound per week, since you only want to lose 10 pounds.
https://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided
Since I don't know your age I used 30 years old. This gives you 1340 calories per day. (You'd get more if you are younger and less if older.) You would then log exercise on top of that, and eat those calories as well.
Note: many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated for them and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.1 -
jessica2021624 wrote: »Can someone please tell me the importance of carbs over fats? Why would a high carb high protein diet work for some people trying to lose weight?
Background info: I recently spoke with a personal trainer who suggested I consume 137:137:30g (protein carbs fat) at 1300 calories to lose weight (10 pounds) and gain moderate muscle.
I’ve been eating like this for nearly 2 weeks and I’ve gained weight in my face and arms. I also feel exhausted even after consuming healthy carbs.
I have to wonder of any of this is just your perception. When I started working out again and looking at myself in the mirror a lot I noticed things that were previously unremarkable.
Also, I thought my biceps were getting bigger, but when I measured them I found they were actually getting smaller.
Furthermore, I tend to bloat at certain times of the month. And if it's hot where you are, you could be retaining water from that as well.2
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