I can't wait to get to goal so I can switch up my diet and start bulking up. I have been frequenting bodybuilding.com and some of those guys are eating huge amounts of carbs/protein to gain muscle mass. Are these amounts possible with the sleeve. At a minimum most of those guys are consuming 1-1.5g Protein per pound of body weight and well over 200g of carbs daily. Are any of you guys consuming this much to maintain or increase your gains?

I know a lot of runners on this forum are consuming a ton of carbs but are you able to eat tons of protein too?

thanks

I can't wait to get to goal so I can switch up my diet and start bulking up. I have been frequenting bodybuilding.com and some of those guys are eating huge amounts of carbs/protein to gain muscle mass. Are these amounts possible with the sleeve. At a minimum most of those guys are consuming 1-1.5g Protein per pound of body weight and well over 200g of carbs daily. Are any of you guys consuming this much to maintain or increase your gains?

I know a lot of runners on this forum are consuming a ton of carbs but are you able to eat tons of protein too?

thanks

I run a lot and eat a ton of protein (125-150 grams daily). However my carbs are still pretty low and only enough to help me with my workouts. Mostly good carbs from nuts.com. At this time, I have not wrapped my mind around a high carb diet. I am at a point post op where I am trying to bulk up the lean muscle with training. It may add 5-10 lbs, but I am OK with that.

I just recently upped my calories so my protein has averaged 184g/day for the last 7 days, and carbs have averaged 64g/day...but net carbs would be more like 40g/day. And I run alot and work out everyday, same as Fiddleman. I'm finding I don't really need the carbs as much as common dogma suggested I did. The body can be trained to burn fat for fuel more efficiently, thus reducing the need for glycogen as fuel (carbs). Of course, that depends on the type of exercise you're doing. Endurance training is ideally suited for this approach. If I wanted to be an NBA basketball player, where I had to sprint up and down the court all night, I probably would fall flat out very quickly.

Take in to consideration, every body is different. They use too much bro science on bb.com for me to take anything over there seriously. There are some good physiques, and some guys who know what they're doing, but the site is convoluted with the curl jockeys and such. There are studies showing .79g/lb of bodyweight is sufficient to build muscle mass, then again there are studies showing 2g/lb (which I find outrageous). I've built a solid foundation using about .8/1g/lb of bodyweight in the past. I would consume around 270-315g protein a day during competition season. Right now I would be worrying about keeping whatever mass you have. It's been my #2 goal since starting. If I maintain my mass, I'll be elite in the 242 weight class, and get another invitation to nationals next fall.

From what I've read (and experienced), it's true that you can't build any real muscle without carbs and you can't rely on just Protein. However, the carbs that are best are the really slow digesting carbs such a veggies (love my broccoli), oatmeal, etc. And like "mark!" said, everyone is different and I would advise easing into the carb issue and finding what's best for you. Keep in mind that you need to be patient, if you try to jack your cals/carbs way up, you will tend to build muscle, but you will also add a lot of fat.....I've been there and learned the hard way.

There are so many variables such as one's age, metabolism, timing of the ingested carbs etc. Personally, my protein and carbs vary. On days that I lift (Mon-Fri typically), I'll eat more complex carbs and lean Proteins, usually is around 80+ grams of complex carbs along with 120+ grams of protein. But by the time Sunday comes around and I haven't lifted since Friday, I'll cut back on the carbs and add in more fats such as almonds, peanuts and Sunday is usually my fish night and I get those good fats in along with around 100 grams of protein. Again, just keep in mind that we are all different (especially when it comes to carb sensitivity), do your research, lift and have fun!

"mark!"........curl jockeys......those guys taking up a squat rack doing barbell curls? I hear ya!

Haha, yes, curling in a squat rack. I've asked many a kid to get out of the squat rack because I want to actually squat. Haven't had any issues doing so yet, lol.

love my broccoli

Are you just steaming it? Any healthy ways to spice it up?

I am getting way ahead of myself and don't actually plan to up my carbs or my Protein until I am close to goal. Right now my main concern is maintaining what muscle I have left and eating right. I did recently up my carbs to 50gs daily, but the increase was in my post workout meal. I am getting 80-100g of protein, sometimes more, daily but its hard to increase it while trying to keep my calories below 850. I am happy where my macros are right now but like I said above... can't wait to get to goal so I can start playing with my diet and increase my carbs a little. Kinda miss eating brown rice and certain fruits.

Are you just steaming it? Any healthy ways to spice it up?

I am getting way ahead of myself and don't actually plan to up my carbs or my Protein until I am close to goal. Right now my main concern is maintaining what muscle I have left and eating right. I did recently up my carbs to 50gs daily, but the increase was in my post workout meal. I am getting 80-100g of protein, sometimes more, daily but its hard to increase it while trying to keep my calories below 850. I am happy where my macros are right now but like I said above... can't wait to get to goal so I can start playing with my diet and increase my carbs a little. Kinda miss eating brown rice and certain fruits.

I just microwave mine slightly (just enough to warm it) and I may add a little pepper, but I leave out the butter and salt.

It's good to have a plan and the fact that you are excited to hit the ground running probably means that you have an increased chance of being successful. Sounds like you already are doing pretty well. Yeah, I add in some brown rice on occasion, but I try to limit it to only right after a hard workout, and just maybe a 1/4 cup for me. But I can be a little sensitive to rice, bread and Pasta, so I have to watch those kind of carbs. The good carbs will give your muscles energy (glycogen). I know my muscles really fill up fast with glycogen when I've lifted hard and had my good carbs. Then if I low carb it for a couple of days, I can tell they look a little smaller. If you do this too, don't worry, it's not really the muscle tissue going away, it's just that they are not quite as full of glycogen and when you return to eating more good carbs, they will fill back up.

On the maintaining muscle mass while you are losing weight, make sure to still lift pretty heavy, just take down the volume a little. Let's your muscles know to stick around and that you still need them during the weight loss.