I’m setting out my diet plan now, intending to lose a lot of weight in the first half of next year. Currently, I’m 5’9" with a somewhat slight frame and weighing about 230lbs. Hard to tell what kind of muscle I have under that, but I’m benching ~200lbs, so not all that much. Ideally, I’d like to weigh somewhere around 160-170lbs. A long way to go, by that’s how it is.
I was just going over the T-Dawg diet and some similar plans, trying to work out a system that’ll work for me, and I keep coming across the same question - how much protein should I eat? T-Dawg 2.0 recommends 1.5g per pound of body weight. My question is, is that 1.5g per pound of actual weight, or per pound of theoretical lean body mass? Frankly, the idea of consuming nearly 350 grams of protein a day (based on 230lbs) flips me out - that seems way over the top for a guy of my limited muscle mass. If I went by my target goal of 170 lbs, that would just be over 250 grams per day. We’re talking an extra 400 calories a day if I go with the 230lb calculation. It’s not like I have too much muscle I’ll be preserving here, anyway - I don’t wanna be a weakling at the end of my fat loss phase, but 350 grams a day to maintain my lousy 200 pound press? I have to think that’s overkill - I’ll be rolling my toothpaste in GROW! to get that much.
So, in short, how much should I really be looking to consume? I’ll be lifting on a split system MWF, with low-intensity cardio the rest of the week. I’m a computer geek, so I’m pretty much sitting on my ass for work any time I’m not explicitly exercising. Can anyone give me a little insight here? Thanks…
I have done both the T-Dawg and the Bodyopus versions of the low-carb diet so I am just passing along some stuff I learned while doing these. If I were you I would focus on the calories and work your protein from there. Start at say 2200 calories and that would leave your protein intake at about 140 grams. I don’t agree with the carb recommendations in the T-Dawg. In my case it was far easier getting to ketosis without any carbs and the faster the better. I did drink a carbless protein shake after a workout but that was it. All the other meals it was a 75/25 fat/protein ratio. Prepare yourself mentally, the first 2 weeks of the diet are a drain and you will feel lethargic but it passes and when the diet kicks in you will be fine. Do your heavy lifting on the first day of your lifting cycle. When you do get into ketosis your breath will smell, smells sort of like butane and you will urinate a lot. Also Udo’s oil is extremely helpful for getting in your fats. The oil is easier to use but the capsules are better when you are on the go. Hope this helps.
I would start with TBW (total body wieght just to make it easy. Go for the carbs listed in the T-Dawg 2, then protein @ 1.5g and fats between .4-.6g per lb TBW. This will give you a good starting point to get you going.
Anywhere you start is really just an estimate and will need to be adjusted for you. Better off starting a little high possibly then low and risking LBM loss. Run those figures two weeks evaluate and adjust if needed. (if not losing between 1-2 lbs a week)
Great things about the high proteinj intake is it ability to help preserve muscle mass while dieting (important), that it is much more metabolicly draining, meaning it takes takes more energy to break it down than carbs and fat so it rasies your TEF, boosting your natural metabolism, and it will keep you full longer.
As for the carbs and ketosis. Well true it is very likely you will NOT go into ketosis on T-Dawg. Big deal and ketosis is actually a bit overrated in my opinion. T-Dawg is all about a transformetion of the body and a diet that is easily adapted into your daily life. It is mnore about losing FAT, not weight, amd keeping or in ,many cases even gaining muscle. This once again is very important.
Dont only pay attention to your scale once a week. Your weight may not change but your Body may. Pay attention to the way your clothes fit and thre mirror as well. Also performance in the gym. While I would not expect to be breaking PR’s at an alarming rate, but you should be able to maintain a fairly consistant and solid performance in the gym. This will lead to keeping and gaining LBM and burning FAT.
Hope this starts to help you. If you would like further help running the #'s or anything just holler. I or someone else I am sure will be glad to do so.
Relax Jack. Focus on calorie intake. Just let food choice decide how much protein you will get. Let me elaborate. I am willing to bet that this is the very first time you have tried a diet such as the T-dawg Diet. The change in eating habits and logging food is going to cause some stress. I’m not saying that you’ll have a nervous brake down due to the stress or anything of the sort, but you could very well find yourself in the kitchen thinking, “Oh my God!! I need 11 more grams of protien and have 19 calories to do it in!?” Just relax and record your calories and stick to high fat, high protein foods. When I stopped trying to force cans of tuna and chicken breasts into my low-carb diet the 30P/60F/10C that Pasquale advised just came out in the wash almost perfectly. Just stick to the foods suggested and meet you calorie needs. Once you do that you will get enough protein.