Macros of "extra" calories..Does it matter?

lilawolf · March 2017

I am not currently bulking, but I'm talking about a lot of calories and a lot of training, so I think the target audience is better in this forum.

Once I get my 0.8g/lb of protein, fruits/veg/other high nutrition items, some carbs, and some fat, does it matter what the rest is? Could ALL of the additional be Ben and Jerrys?

At ~1800 gross calories, that only leaves a little room for extras so I haven't worried about it. I'm generally at 35c/35f/30p. Now I'm getting back into serious training: Krav Maga 3x, Stronglifts 2x, and maybe a run every week. Last time I was training like this I was slowly losing on 2800 calories a day.

Do I need to focus on carbs to fuel my training? Is yet MORE protein beneficial (keeping 25-30%)? Do I need more fruits/veg/vitamins when training hard?

If you answer is that it doesn't matter, which has seemed to always be true for me, why do the elite body builders near comps (and many others) still seem to do chicken breast/rice/broccoli/mass gainer "extra clean" diet?

Thanks in advance

Articles/studies extra appreciated. And also whether "better" is 1% better or WAAAY better.

bioklutz · March 2017

Is it substainable to fill your belly with more chicken, broccoli, veggies, fruit? While I like those things, I can only eat so much of it.

I would say the most important thing would be eating in a way that supports your training.

vinchud · March 2017

Everyone is different but I'd be working 50carbs 30 protein and 20 fats and see what results roll in weekly. Add 10 percent to your daily calories to get gains or take away to cut. Never loose more than a percent body fat per week or be from muscle

sardelsa · March 2017

You definitely want to make sure that you fuel primarily with nutritious foods, hit your macros etc. But once you do that there is nothing wrong with some treats, especially if you have a lot of cals to play with.. in your case you have a lot of wiggle room with 2800 cals. As long as the foods you eat make you feel good and have positive effects on your gym performance, you are good. There is no way I could eat 100% bro-diet, I would feel bloated and too full constantly and my workouts would definitely suffer.

When you get your cals really low, there will naturally be less room for treats. Bodybuilders near competition are at a very low BF%, they are eating lower cals and their bodies are hungry constantly... they need to fuel to feel full and that is usually the chicken breast/broccoli type diet.

Gallowmere1984 · March 2017

I personally just end up filling in my extra room with more protein and carbs. Once needs are met, it's all preference.

AnvilHead · March 2017

lilawolf wrote: »

...Once I get my 0.8g/lb of protein, fruits/veg/other high nutrition items, some carbs, and some fat, does it matter what the rest is? Could ALL of the additional be Ben and Jerrys?...

To quote Eric Helms (researcher, trainer, professional bodybuilder/powerlifter):

Once our nutrient needs are met, we don’t get extra credit for eating more nutritious food! It’s not as though we have a health food critic living in our esophagus that has a control box that he switches from “get leaner and healthier” to “get fatter and unhealthier” every time he spots “good” or “bad” food. Thus, a healthy diet should be inclusionary vs. exclusionary; focused around including healthy foods, not excluding “unhealthy” foods. Meet your nutrient needs, and feel free to eat things that you may have traditionally seen as “bad” in moderation; so that you are still meeting your allotted caloric intake for your weight loss goals. Don’t make the mistake of looking at foods as “good” or “bad!” Good diets can include “bad” foods and bad diets can include “good” foods. Don’t get too caught up with what you have for lunch, because it is not a singular choice that will determine the success of your health and fitness goals, it is the balanced lifestyle you commit to long term!

link: https://dynamicduotraining.com/15-nutrition-myths-you-want-to-knowallow-the-experts-to-tell/

lilawolf wrote: »

...If you answer is that it doesn't matter, which has seemed to always be true for me, why do the elite body builders near comps (and many others) still seem to do chicken breast/rice/broccoli/mass gainer "extra clean" diet?...

The diet of a bodybuilder in contest prep is structured a certain way for very specific reasons - and is different from their normal/everyday diet (i.e., when not prepping for a contest). They are manipulating their water/sodium levels, carb levels, etc. - and they are also fighting an ultra-lean body which is doing everything it can to resist getting leaner because they're approaching "essential fat" levels (the minimum amount of bodyfat needed for survival).

To think that the average trainee needs to use a pre-contest bodybuilder's diet is like thinking that your family SUV needs to run the same fuel as a Top Fuel dragster.

Rusty740 · March 2017

I'm not sure but I'm gonna come out on the side that says what those extras are does matter, but I'd guess it matters perhaps only a small amount.

The reason I think this is that what you eat affects your insulin levels and sensitivity. Essentially, you'd want to continue to eat things that kept your machine in good efficient condition. I'm not knowledgeable enough to go on further, but enough to stick my neck in that direction.

Gallowmere1984 · March 2017

Well, in one way, I suppose one could argue that it does matter, from a physiological perspective. Assuming that bulking kcals are held pretty equal, you will see some differences in amounts gained, based on TEF alone. That said, I have a feeling that we'd not be talking notable amounts, unless measured in laboratory conditions, but I could be wrong, and would be interested in hearing any anecdotes one way or the other.

Macros of "extra" calories..Does it matter?

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