Better physique with higher carbs?

[rainstony]

So I'm 3 months into logging food and counting calories/macros. I'm bulking on an unrestricted diet, only aiming to hit macro ranges.

I was at 3700 calories for a while and dropped to 2500 and basicallyY physique started looking shitty. My carbs were around 150-250.

I upped my calories back up to basically as much as I could eat. Getting around 4500 now, and my carbs are way up in the range of 400-500.

My physique instantly filled out, and I even think I look leaner. I don't have a coach yet so am kind of trying to teach and coach myself at the same time.

I'm just stumped trying to figure out why higher carbs for me leans me out better than lower carbs. Does anyone experience something like this? Protein is always 220-300g. Fat stays anywhere from 120 all the way up to 225 last night. Also seems like a a high amount of fat in my diet improves my physique over lower...say <150g.

 

[dnab87]

Breaking news!! Full on carbs and flat on low carbs. Didn't see that one coming!

 

[nothuman]

No I look much, much better on low carbs because I have genetically below average insulin sensitivity. This will be all individual.

 

[rainstony]

Breaking news!! Full on carbs and flat on low carbs. Didn't see that one coming!

Not just that though. My midsection looks better. I dropped calories and carbs down to try to cut down more and seemed to lose definition almost everywhere.

Could it maybe actually be my fat intake instead of my carb intake? Common sense says low carbs is the way to go to drop fat, but like I said, I thought my whole physique looked shit. And not just musale fullness but my midsection too.

 

[Sir Anabolic]

Wish I could eat 500 grams of carbs daily. If I do, I look like michelin man

 

[bonacris]

If I want to get lean I add cardio and up the food a little.

 

[beastmode121]

stay on that amount of carbs and you won't be lean anymore unless you're in a calorie deficit

 

[ljp]

stay on that amount of carbs and you won't be lean anymore unless you're in a calorie deficit

I think you'll gain less fat if the surplus comes from carbs vs fat.. the difference might be negligible though. But basically it's the amount of calories above his maintenance which defines whether he'll gain fat or not, not the amount of carbs per se.

 

[beastmode121]

I think you'll gain less fat if the surplus comes from carbs vs fat.. the difference might be negligible though. But basically it's the amount of calories above his maintenance which defines whether he'll gain fat or not, not the amount of carbs per se.

Yup, calories make you fat, not macronutrients

 

[concreteguy]

By eating many meals a day and slowly increasing the carbs bi-weekly in each meal you can train your body to use more carbs and also increase your metabolic rate.
Nothuman, I would be surprised to see that this didn't work for you to. You just may have to start with a lower base carb value and do morning cardio with later in the day training. Just my guess.

CG

 

[nothuman]

By eating many meals a day and slowly increasing the carbs bi-weekly in each meal you can train your body to use more carbs and also increase your metabolic rate.

Nothuman, I would be surprised to see that this didn't work for you to. You just may have to start with a lower base carb value and do morning cardio with later in the day training. Just my guess.



CG

Oh believe me, I've tried. I get bigger on higher carbs but I look better on low carbs. When I say I look better, I mean in my face too. I am bigger, fuller, and veined with a lot of carbs, but prettier on low carbs, if that makes sense.

 

[Elvia1023]

Oh believe me, I've tried. I get bigger on higher carbs but I look better on low carbs. When I say I look better, I mean in my face too. I am bigger, fuller, and veined with a lot of carbs, but prettier on low carbs, if that makes sense.

You just told CG you are prettier that way. Did I read that right

 

[nothuman]

You just told CG you are prettier that way. Did I read that right

Yep, he's probably not gonna like that one haha. But generally I look better in low carbs

 

[Ashop]

No I look much, much better on low carbs because I have genetically below average insulin sensitivity. This will be all individual.

I was about to say the exact same thing. You will need to experiment,,,very individual.

 

[rainstony]

I mean. Ive been on the same cycle and compounds throughout. Test Prop, Tren Hex, Anadrol. Even through the first 4 weeks of Anadrol I got much much more lean at 3,700-4,200 cals and 350-450 carbs. After I dropped the Drol, I dropped my calories to 3,000 (+/- 2-300) while keeping my carbs around 200-300. I lost vascularity, muscle bellies lost fullness, even my stomach softned and i lost the veins in my midsection, my quads.

Ive unrestricted my intake again, and am consistently around 4-4200 calories, occassionaly up to 4,500. I try to keep my carbs over 400. Now I have been taking ECA 25/200 twice a day to boost metabolism, but do no cardio, so its not like it's exactly working magic, just running my metabolism a little higher. But my vascularity has significantly improved. Muscle bellies have filled back out. Abs are starting to pop again and veins are returning to my lower midsection.

I was around 213 while on lower calories, and came in at 209 tonight adter a week of being back on high calories. Im by no means a pro, and still learning how my body responds. But its difficult to understand exactly why my body is utilizing higger carbs to keep me lean.

I eat plenty of bad shit. Cereal almoat daily. Poptarts. Kool aid. As long as my carbs are over 400g consistently, I keep seeing daily changes to my physique and lean out much better.

 

[Jizzmo]

you have absolutely no idea what youre doing, dont you?

 

[rainstony]

you have absolutely no idea what youre doing, dont you?

Most people just go into it without a plan. Not many count calories. The thing about what Im doing is I have no coach of any kind. Im literally teaching and coaching myself as I go.

Dont get me wrong, Im gaining better and looking better in the last 6 months than I have ever, simply from putting all of my focus into my diet and learning in that department.

I know gear, I know training. At this point the hard part is learning and figuring out what my body likes, how it reacts to certain things, dialing in macros, calories. What to eliminate. Stuff like that.

Coaching and teaching yourself is a hard thing to do. But Im not going to invest in a coach until I have at least successfully built my physique to a level where I feel I could actually compete well. That the overall goal. To compete. Im here to learn everything I can I can brother.

 

[jrock00123]

No I look much, much better on low carbs because I have genetically below average insulin sensitivity. This will be all individual.

How many grams of carbs are you eating per day? Do you periodically "carb-up"?

OP, it's fine to experiment a little, but sooner rather than later you need to get your nutrition dialed in, especially if you are serious about competing.

I also agree with beastmode121 that you will very likely start to put on body fat if you continue on your current path. You'll also decrease your overall insulin sensitivity, which is never a good thing.

 

[nothuman]

How many grams of carbs are you eating per day? Do you periodically "carb-up"?



OP, it's fine to experiment a little, but sooner rather than later you need to get your nutrition dialed in, especially if you are serious about competing.



I also agree with beastmode121 that you will very likely start to put on body fat if you continue on your current path. You'll also decrease your overall insulin sensitivity, which is never a good thing.

Depending on how focused I am with diet, I eat 150-200g carbs per day and I look good. On gear, I'll have closer to 300g. Any more than that and I look pregnant. However, I gained most of my muscle on more carbs than that, but I don't all out bulk anymore.

 

[Pheedno]

Depending on how focused I am with diet, I eat 150-200g carbs per day and I look good. On gear, I'll have closer to 300g. Any more than that and I look pregnant. However, I gained most of my muscle on more carbs than that, but I don't all out bulk anymore.

I'm in the same boat as you. About 150-220g of carbs and I feel I look the best. That's with moderate fat(50-80) and protein close to what carbs are. It keeps me depleted enough to have some awesome loads/cheats/refeeds periodically without loosing ground on body fat levels.

How often are you training on your macros split?