Mental Block of Carbs > Protein, anyone else?

tectactoe

Hello. I'll (try to) be brief. I'm a 24yo male, approximately 6'2", mesomorph-ish body type.

As an acid craft beer & food fan, I started getting pudgy. My highest weight was 215 lb, & my face, belly, & overall body was noticeably chubby, to me.

I decided to do something about it. To make a long story short, I did two rounds of p90x. Once with only the workouts, then again following a strict diet plan.

My cutting diet plan was 40/30/30, 2000cals a day. But in my paranoid mind, I could do better. I aimed for 1800 cals instead, & tried to keep carbs below 100g daily.

Bottom line, it worked. Fast. I dropped some weight just from the first rotation but the loss somewhat plateaued. After changing my diet, I lost 22# in about three months.

Now here I am, around 180 lb, fairly lean (10-12% bf is my guess, compared to easily 25% before). I've moved away from p90x to the weight room, doing a variation of 5/3/1 (similar work outs, 4x week, but different rep structure).

I've been doing it for a little over a month. I've changed my diet to 2400 cals, 40/40/20. This still isn't bulking according to online calculators for my size, which is fine.

Problem is, I have this mental block of letting my carb numbers go above my protein numbers for the day. I would rather be getting like 200g protein & 280g carbs per day, opposed to 240g of each. Let's face it, carbs are more fun to eat (many times) & much cheaper, too.

But somehow I have this mental BLOCK, that even if I keep my calories in check, switching from 240/240 to 200/280, or even 180/300 will make me fat, less lean, etc.

Does anyone else struggle with this? How did you deal with it?? Open for any options as well.

Tl;dr - How will a protein/carb split of 240/240 differ from ones of 200/280 or 180/300 assuming same overall calories & fat in the diet of a 24yo, 6'2", ~180 lb mesomorph who lifts heavy 4x/week? I have a fear of letting carbs > protein, even by a few grams... Help me!!

Miamiuu

My opinion would be there probably isn't much difference on the body with 240 vs 280 carbs.

pkteen

There isn't much of a difference between 240 and 280. Keep going and keep on lifting! Up your cals on the days when you do HIIT or other forms of cardio (if you do any).

tectactoe

Just for an example,

I've logged my food for the rest of the day. Currently, I still have about 200 calories to spare. I'll be at around 185g carbs & 200g protein.

I wouldn't mind having a nice pack of instant oatmeal when I get home, only about 150 calories. Problem is, it has 33g carbs & only about 3g protein, meaning my end tally carbs will be 15g higher than protein.


I'm just worrying over nothing, aren't I?

cwolfman13

I'm just worrying over nothing, aren't I?

Yes...

Miamiuu

Just for an example,

I've logged my food for the rest of the day. Currently, I still have about 200 calories to spare. I'll be at around 185g carbs & 200g protein.

I wouldn't mind having a nice pack of instant oatmeal when I get home, only about 150 calories. Problem is, it has 33g carbs & only about 3g protein, meaning my end tally carbs will be 15g higher than protein.


I'm just worrying over nothing, aren't I?

Sounds to me like you are overthinking everything way too much. Read some articles about diets and lifting at www.bodybuilding.com Or get help in the fitness and exercise forum on here.You need a surplus of calories and carbs and protein in order to build muscle.

DopeItUp

I've been there. It's a tough mental block but I've broken through it with the help of articles like this:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/low-carb-convert

My goals have switched more towards gym performance and more carbs == more energy. It's that simple - once I made the mental transition I was good to go.

MrGonzo05

The good news is, it doesn't matter. You're eating more protein than necessary already, and you're oxidizing the excess. Excessive protein is expensive carbs.