Fat Intake for Bulking/Cutting

Diet and Nutrition
1

I did a little search on these questions and couldn’t really find much on the forums. So I know there are different methods of bulking and cutting, and they are highly dependant on the individual and where they are physically.

EX:

Cutting

High protein - low carb
Carb cycling CKD

Bulking

High protein - high carb
Carb cycling
etc.

But it seems that the role of fat intake doesn’t get much merit in recomendations. The only time you really see suggestions for increasing fat intake, are increased fish oil, or “hardgainers” being told to eat EVERYTHING.

There was the recent interview with Lonnie Lowery, where he touched on the importance of different fats for building muscle, but he didn’t reveal much.d

And as for fat intake, i usually see recomendations of 15-30% of calorie intake.

One of the big reasons im inquiring about this stuff, is I have a fast metabolism and thus maintaining/gaining weight is a little challenge for me. Im wondering if and when I can go balls to the wall with stuff like cheese, peanut butter, whole milk, etc. or if this is a bad idea, and i need to find ways to eat more calories from lean protein sources and carbs.

So here are my questions:

1)ARE THERE ANY BENEFITS TO INCREASED FAT INTAKE; ABOVE THE “REQUIRED” AMOUNT FOR BULKING OR CUTTING (ASSUMING DIFFERENT SOURCES ARE OBTAINED, SAT, OMEGA 3,6, ETC.)?

2)OR IS DOES ANY INTAKE OVER WHAT IS REQUIRED JUST LEAD TO EXCESSIVE FAT GAIN?

3)IS THE COMBINATION OF FAT AND CARBS REALLY THAT BAD? (THE REASON I ASK, IS I SEE DIETS LIKE THE ZONE DIET IN WHICH THEY ARE COMMONLY MIXED)?

  1. DO THE SOURCES OF FAT REALLY MATTER THAT MUCH FOR BULKING OR CUTTING?
2

  1. Depending on the diet Fat intake is even more important than normally. I’ve found alot on fat intake around the forums. When cutting on a low carb diet you should increase you’re fat intake to help get fat adapted for example.

  2. Im not sure what you mean by what is required, but excess CALORIES will lead to fat gain, not exactly excess fat.

  3. No, this combination is not that bad.

  4. Your sources of fat do matter. Omega 3 fatty acids should be increased because of the whole array of benefits they supply. Also, evidence suggests that sat. fat can be good for a male’s test levels.

*On a side note, I’ve seen many “experts” claim that going below 50 grams of fat a day for a decent sized male is too low.