Struggling to hit Macros in a healthy way?

leastcommonusernameever
leastcommonusernameever Posts: 16 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I am excited to have begun a great program at a powerlifting gym in my neighborhood. They a offer group training program, where you meet with trainers three times a week for eight weeks. After the first "session" of eight weeks, I'll be ready (hopefully) to join the larger group, who get to play more with heavier lifts. It's very cool and very supportive--- BUT

I met with the owner and he gave me recommendations for macros. Generally looks like this:

Non-lifting days:
168g protein
36 g fat
150g carbs
Cal Total: 1600


Lift days:
168g protein
225g carbs (trying to avoid simple carbs (unless from fruit- like apples). Aiming for brown rice, etc.
25g fat

Cal Total: 1800

I just started today and smashed the hell out of my fat goal. I'm finding it really hard to hit the other Macro's without having the fat shoot up. Thoughts?

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    edited August 2016
    Well you certainly dont need that much protein. At most, if lean, 1g per lb of weight would be fine. But if you arent lean 1g per lb of lbm is enough.

    Kind of seems he still follows the old school bro science recommendations. Nothing wrong with simple carbs either.

    Edit: crazy low fat isnt good. It inhibits testosterone production which is critical for muscle gain. Also low fat is just bad for hormones in general.
  • leastcommonusernameever
    leastcommonusernameever Posts: 16 Member
    Thanks for the feedback. I trust the recommendations he made-- I'm just looking for good sources of carbs/protein. Thoughts? I don't think he's against simple carbs per say- it sounded like he just thought that if I went for the pasta/bread I'd get less of other important stuff. So if I can help it, to shoot for something that gives me a better bang for my buck
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    leastcommonusernameever wrote: »
    Thanks for the feedback. I trust the recommendations he made-- I'm just looking for good sources of carbs/protein. Thoughts? I don't think he's against simple carbs per say- it sounded like he just thought that if I went for the pasta/bread I'd get less of other important stuff. So if I can help it, to shoot for something that gives me a better bang for my buck

    Breads are actually complex, well whole grains. But oats, quinoa, lentils, legumes, low fat dairy. White meats and egg whites.
  • leastcommonusernameever
    leastcommonusernameever Posts: 16 Member
    Thanks! Yeah, to be honest I'm still reading through the information he sent me...very possible I am butchering his recs haha.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    Well if you want any studies or supporting evidence please let me know.

    And if you want some post workout enjoyment, go gummy bears or pixie sticks, ;). Its made of dextrose which is the fasting acting sugar. This will replenish glycogen and stimulate insulin which promotes muscle protein synthesis, allowing the amino acids to rebuild muscle.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    Also, for more specialized nutrition check out the gaining weight section. We cover muscle more over there and many of the knowledgeable body builders are in that section.
  • leastcommonusernameever
    leastcommonusernameever Posts: 16 Member
    Thanks! I do really trust his recs. He is really knowledgable. I believe he calculated using .7g per lb on the protein. (at 240 lbs) I have 140lb of lbm - so I think by that measure you suggested (1:1) you two are in more agreement than not also. I think I'm mostly struggling to figure out the when, how and how much. Today for example, I had streak tips (6oz) and 1.5 cups of wild rice for lunch, which I thought was pretty good.. but then the fat really shot up in comparison to the protein and carbs. I know chicken would be a better choice, but I'm a little worried about getting bored.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    leastcommonusernameever wrote: »
    Thanks! I do really trust his recs. He is really knowledgable. I believe he calculated using .7g per lb on the protein. (at 240 lbs) I have 140lb of lbm - so I think by that measure you suggested (1:1) you two are in more agreement than not also. I think I'm mostly struggling to figure out the when, how and how much. Today for example, I had streak tips (6oz) and 1.5 cups of wild rice for lunch, which I thought was pretty good.. but then the fat really shot up in comparison to the protein and carbs. I know chicken would be a better choice, but I'm a little worried about getting bored.

    Diets are about what you do as a whole. When and how much is based on the individual. Meaning you can eat 2x a day 6x a day and it wont matter. You dont need to worry abouy timing nutrients because it will only give an advantage to that ultra lean body builder since we have enough glycogen storage.

    Personally, i would stress hitting the numbers too much. If anyone strive to get at least 120 to 140g of protein and let the rest fall out. You are at a good point where you can still make a lot of gains in lifting due to neurological adaptations. And over complicating it and getting bored will make it harder to sustain.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    That is a very unbalanced diet and I can understand that you are struggling. Luckily, there is no need for such an extreme approach. Enough of everything, and not too much of anything, is suffcient, and your body is trying to tell you that those recommendations are wrong for you. But of course it's up to you if you want to try to push through.
  • xvolution
    xvolution Posts: 721 Member
    Looking at the percentages and grouping them in a carb/protein/fat order, it looks like the macros the owner recommended is 38/42/20 on rest days and 50/37/13 on lift days. That 13% fat on lift days does indeed seem low to me.

    This is pure opinion, but maybe at least lower the carbs a bit and add them to the fats, especially if you're wanting to keep the protein intake the same. I personally do a 50/25/25 spread for my macros, and it seems to fit fine with the 0.8 x ideal body weight recommendations for protein.
  • katiemce2
    katiemce2 Posts: 2 Member
    I am on a very similar program. 155g protein, 155 g carbs and 36 grams of fat. Here is what I use for healthy proteins that have low fats:
    Turkey sausage link
    Egg whites
    Chicken breast
    Turkey burgers
    Lean ground turkey
    Protein bars and shakes
    Greek yogurt
    I usually hit my goals

    As for carbs:
    White rice
    Quinoa
    Oatmeal
    Fruit
    Sweet potatoes
    Pasta
    Rice cakes
    Bread

    I usually never go over in fats. Sometimes I go over in carbs. I hope this helps. I watched a lot of food prep videos on YouTube. That helped me a lot. Good luck!
    Katie
  • katiemce2
    katiemce2 Posts: 2 Member
    I forgot to mention, I'm on 1600 calories a day and I'm always below it (more like 1400-1500).
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