If I were to try to add calories to my diet to gain a little muscle slowly while gaining as little fat as possible, would you suggest I add carbs or protein or both to my diet? My current macros are 50% C, 40% P, 10% F.
I am 5’11" and 187 lbs
I would add fat.
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Thanks. What are some easy fat sources to add without going up in the carbs and protein? Or that may not be possible.
I would go
1.25xLBM for P
.3-.35xLBM for F
Fill the rest with carbs.
Go slightly over your maintenance by 200cals for a few weeks to see where you go and then increase/adjust from there.
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Thanks. To clarify, go over by 200 cals/day, not per week, correct?
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Correct, it would be cals per day.
If you give me your exact maintenance cals and LBM i can figure it out for you.
Here are my stats as of today. Weight is down some.
Currently maintaining at 3100-3200 cals per day. I just don’t know how to adjust my macros or if I want to. I’m a cookie cutter nutrition guy who eats consistently the same thing weekly. I’ve found what I enjoy eating and don’t get tired of it.
Butter, ghee, tallow, suet, animal fats, swap egg whites with whole eggs
Pick carbs or fats as your energy substrate
For what it’s worth, I’m pretty much in @s.gentz’s camp here. I like protein slightly lower, and will edge fat up a little bit, but very similar. I do that because I think it’s easier to sustain, so it’s only for practical eating in the real world, not because it’s “better”.
You’re in a good place because you already know what you’re eating.
I think your fat is just about half what it should be, and that’s not super beneficial for your long term hormonal profile nor your joint integrity. I’d make my first change to get that up to 65g.
Your protein is really high. That’s not a negative by itself, but it’s expensive, satiating, and takes from your caloric total. You’re a rare case where I’d take your protein down and your fat up.
I’d do that for a couple weeks, to establish that baseline, then add carbs/ calories as necessary to gain weight.
I say all this with seething envy and barely controlled rage at your ability to maintain on 3200 calories at 187 lbs!
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I googled this, and it unfortunately did not help my understanding. Would you mind fleshing out this concept for me? I’ve never seen it expressed in this context.
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Meant to say “joint” and fat fingered it!
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That makes SO much more sense.
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So going by this info i would set you up in the following manner:
186lbs BW
160lbs LBM
Protien= 160x1.25= 200g protien 800cals
Fats= 160x.35= 56g fats 504cals
Carbs= Totals of 3100-P&F= 1800cals or 450g carb
Run this for 2 weeks and see what your body does. If you gain stay there until you don’t. If you do nothing or lose, add 200cals(50g) in the form of carbs.
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Ok, something is off. I’m pretty close to the carb goals above already. Here are two days of my weekly repeatable days. Fiber and sugars come from fruits.
I would say running your fats that low is most likely screwing up your hormones to the point that your body is not responding to your food intake in an appropriate manner.
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Ok, so if I take away protein and add fats, how can I stay satiated without as much protein? I already do eat whole eggs and not egg whites to address one of your fat addition suggestions.
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Fat is very satiating. It’s a slow digesting food source. Such that, John Meadows frequently advocated adding fat to meals for the specific function of reducing the speed of gastric emptying.
Do you currently struggle with satiation? Is that why you consume so much protein in the first place?
Fats are very satiating but also more than double the caloric density.
1g protien or carb is 4cals
1g fat is 9cals
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I would say I used to have issues with satiation until I upped protein.