Weight lifting, carbs, and protein question

LabRat529
LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Soooooooo. I've done a lot of reading and am/was convinced that a diet consisting of 40% carbs, 30% proteins, and 30% fats was a pretty reasonable plan for preserving muscle mass as much as possible while dieting and weight lifting. I'm honestly not that good at hitting my macros, but I do try to get in a reasonably high amount of protein and then I fill in the rest with carbs and fats. Usually.

This week money is tight, so instead of going grocery shopping, I've been eating the rice and beans I've got in my cupboard. I like rice and beans anyway... but it means higher carbs and lower protein (I still get some chicken/pork/eggs in every day, but just not the 120+ grams I've been shooting for).

Anyhow... interesting thing... could be purely psychological, could be real... but I feel like my lifts have improved significantly. The work-outs that were killing me before... well when they're done, I want to do more... and I have been doing more. I've added a few things into my routine that I wouldn't have had the energy to even contemplate before.

So. Now I'm kinda wanting to eat this way normally.

I guess my question for you fitness gurus is this: How important is that protein really for someone like me? I'm clinically obese (5 foot 3 inches and 188 lbs). My fat % is somewhere around 40% (tested by electrical impedance and calipers), which I guess puts my lean body mass at 115 lbs or so.

Will I regret not eating my protein later?

Replies

  • samuraidoctor
    samuraidoctor Posts: 29 Member
    Carb before, and protein after, if you're going to work-out heavily.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    How much protein were you trying to get? I've read that basing protein on a percentage isn't necessary you just need to hit a minimum. Usually I've read 1 gram per pound of lean body mass, but I've seen as low as 0.8 grams.
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
    How much protein were you trying to get? I've read that basing protein on a percentage isn't necessary you just need to hit a minimum. Usually I've read 1 gram per pound of lean body mass, but I've seen as low as 0.8 grams.

    I wasn't super strict about the percentage... I tried to get at least 100 grams as kind of my minimum, and I normally got close to that number. Often I'd get more, sometimes a little less... but usually at least 100 grams.

    This week though, I'm getting 50-70. So it's not like I'm not getting any... just not as much as I was.
  • Anthonydaman
    Anthonydaman Posts: 854 Member
    Carb before, and protein after, if you're going to work-out heavily.
    Good advice, complex carbs before, and about 20-40 grams of protein post
  • salxtai
    salxtai Posts: 341 Member
    How is your carb intake this week comparing to other weeks?

    If its significantly higher, it might explain why you feel better with your workouts - carbs help fuel muscles, afterall.


    As for protein, I think because you're at a higher BMI / body fat %, focusing on cal in < cal out will be good enough to get the weight down. Yes, protein does help with muscle growth, but at the moment you want a calorie deficit to help lose weight - the weight training will help preserve muscle mass in the mean time, since if you think you may not be the best at meeting macros/sticking to ratios/overall cal deficit limit, then adding protein could make you go over cals and in general just complicate things more.
    - and while you're above healthy BMI/body fat, your body has a lot easier access to fuel (lipids) - this is why people tend to get stuck once they get close to their ideal weight because the lipid fuel source is diminishing.


    Stick to simplicity: once your BMI / body fat falls within "healthy range", then you can start fooling around with macros and percentages :smile:


    Oh, the only other reason you might want to change your eating / macros is if you notice your plateauing, in which case re-evaluating what you're eating /doing for exercise is warranted :smile:
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
    How is your carb intake this week comparing to other weeks?

    If its significantly higher, it might explain why you feel better with your workouts - carbs help fuel muscles, afterall.


    As for protein, I think because you're at a higher BMI / body fat %, focusing on cal in < cal out will be good enough to get the weight down. Yes, protein does help with muscle growth, but at the moment you want a calorie deficit to help lose weight - the weight training will help preserve muscle mass in the mean time, since if you think you may not be the best at meeting macros/sticking to ratios/overall cal deficit limit, then adding protein could make you go over cals and in general just complicate things more.
    - and while you're above healthy BMI/body fat, your body has a lot easier access to fuel (lipids) - this is why people tend to get stuck once they get close to their ideal weight because the lipid fuel source is diminishing.


    Stick to simplicity: once your BMI / body fat falls within "healthy range", then you can start fooling around with macros and percentages :smile:


    Oh, the only other reason you might want to change your eating / macros is if you notice your plateauing, in which case re-evaluating what you're eating /doing for exercise is warranted :smile:

    I confess, I was kinda hoping for an answer like this :D I'd like to hear more from other people... but I really like carbs and it's been so hard to make myself eat enough protein.

    To answer your question- I was getting enough carbs that I wasn't in any danger of being called a 'low carber'. I'd usually get at least 150, so I was probably getting enough? But I still feel I had a much better work-out week this week with the higher carbs.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I guess that makes sense. People with more to lose don't have to worry about muscle loss as much. If more carbs make you happier.... If you are happier you're more likely to stick with whatever eating plan you are going with.

    Also, this is somewhat off topic, but I just started this intermittent fasting thing. It's the www.leangains.com protocol. Basically all you do is skip breakfast then you get to eat bigger lunches and dinner. The idea is that instead of eating small meals all day and never feeling satisfied, you get the feeling and the satisfaction of 2 really big meals. So, instead of basically being hungry all day, you are hungry in the morning, then satisfied for the rest of the day. There have actually been some studies that show that fasting actually increases metabolism but I think the effect is minimal.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,053 Member
    Well carbs supply more glycogen to the body and that's what's needed to fuel workouts. Low carb diets are tough on people who workout (less glycogen conversion) because glycogen diminishes so much faster, so it's not odd that you're stronger.
    Since everyone is different, only direct testing of your lean muscle from week to week, or if you can get your nitrogen tested (BUN) you'd get an idea if you're protein requirements are high enough. Positive nitrogen balance is what you want to strive for since negative nitrogen balance indicates tissue breakdown.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • 70davis
    70davis Posts: 348 Member
    bump
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
    Also, this is somewhat off topic, but I just started this intermittent fasting thing. It's the www.leangains.com protocol. Basically all you do is skip breakfast then you get to eat bigger lunches and dinner. The idea is that instead of eating small meals all day and never feeling satisfied, you get the feeling and the satisfaction of 2 really big meals. So, instead of basically being hungry all day, you are hungry in the morning, then satisfied for the rest of the day. There have actually been some studies that show that fasting actually increases metabolism but I think the effect is minimal.

    I'd noticed you started that. I've been watching to see how you like it. I've contemplated trying... but I'm a bit chicken. I already know I get headaches when I fast for two meals... but one meal is a bit easier and more do-able. I might play around with it... I don't know...
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
    Well carbs supply more glycogen to the body and that's what's needed to fuel workouts. Low carb diets are tough on people who workout (less glycogen conversion) because glycogen diminishes so much faster, so it's not odd that you're stronger.
    Since everyone is different, only direct testing of your lean muscle from week to week, or if you can get your nitrogen tested (BUN) you'd get an idea if you're protein requirements are high enough. Positive nitrogen balance is what you want to strive for since negative nitrogen balance indicates tissue breakdown.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Good to know... I wasn't sure if it was just a psychological thing or not. I just know I felt better and I was able to beat my personal record on everything this week except squats. Deadlifts I moved from 95lbs to 115, which surprised me that I could increase it that much.

    But I don't particularly want to lose too much lean muscle (some is inevitable, I get that)... I just want to lose fat. At the same time, I'm carrying an extra 60 lbs, so it might just be easier to focus on weight loss and not stress too much about the lean muscle, since I can always "bulk" later, right?

    Direct testing of lean muscle? How's that done? I know body fat can be measured in several different ways, but I didn't know lean muscle could be tested directly.

    I'm curious about the nitrogen testing too, from a strictly scientific perspective :D since I imagine it would be out of my reach financially.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Unfortunately I do not know the stats, but you will be please to know that combining rice and beans actually creates a 'complete protein'.

    See explanation below:

    "A complete protein or whole protein is a protein that contains all of the essential amino acids.

    All animal proteins are complete, including red meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy. Complete proteins can also be obtained through certain plants, such as soy, spirulina, hemp seed, amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa.

    Foods can be combined to make complete proteins like pairing beans with rice or corn. There are other combinations as well. Beans and seeds, beans and nuts, and beans and grains will form a complete protein. When you eat hummus and pita bread, nut butter on whole grain bread, pasta with beans, veggie burgers on bread, split pea soup with whole grain bread, and tortillas with refried beans, you are eating complete proteins."
  • Ripken818836701
    Ripken818836701 Posts: 607 Member
    I have lost a total of 78 lbs and have eaten a diet very high in both protein and carbs the entire time. I thought I was gonna have to cut out alot of my carbs and sacrifice strength to get rid of that last bit of fat but I didnt. Stick with what your currently doing, infact, experiment with your carbs to see what the max amount you can eat per day ( everyone is different) and still drop lbs and inches. But once you get under 15% body fat you might have to cut out the carbs to get rid of those last few lbs.
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
    Bump for more feedback
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