Question for low fat diet guys

[juggy38]

I do exactly the same, during this offseason period I decided to increase my fats a little, but in total their only sources are beef (but also very lean, not less than 95-96%) whole eggs and omega 3 (10g daily in constant supplementation) so there will be no many of them, but we will see how increasing the red meat in excess of 3x in the diet will translate into growth

Yea it doesn’t take a whole lot to hit .4g per pound BW when you add a little more beef instead of chicken. I buy this 93/7 grass fed and finished ground beef, pan cook it, drain it.

This sounds gross, but throw in 1/4-1/2 of an avocado with your chocolate protein powder and carb source in a blender . IT HAS TO BE CHOCOLATE. It’s really good.

 

[Joltan]

Good stuff. I feel better on higher carbs as well. You mention "low protein" during cut. What is that in grams if you don't mind my asking?

When cutting with a 1,000 calorie deficit I only get around 105g (.50g per lb).

When bulking with a 500 calorie surplus I get around 170g (.75g per lb).


I don't add any supplemental protein at all anymore... I monitor calories daily using Microsoft excel. I have slowly came down over the years scared that I need 2.0g, 1.5g, and then 1.0g... after several cuts/bulks. I notice I hold just as much muscle on a cut even if I have no supplemental protein.

However, if I don't train each body part 2x per week I will start to lose muscle on a cut. If I don't get enough sleep (6-7+ hours week) I will start to lose muscle on cut as well.

1. Training volume (for me it's no less than each body part 2x per week for a total of 18 sets total per week)
2. Sleep
3. Caloric intake specific to your goal
4. Consistency with #1-3

This is what works for me. Adjusting macros has never had any noticeable difference to me, ever. If I do high protein, I actually get a little flat. Even if macros/high protein does make a difference that I can't notice, it is pennies on the dollar... and not worth whatever limits it sets on my life.

I am 37 and started lifting before I was a teenager. Have tried every training split, volume, diet, macro setup, you name it.

 

[micro2000]

I do not fully agree with this - we have to remember that the walls of cells are mainly made of cholesterol, so too little fat in the diet will make it difficult to build muscle mass

Dietary cholesterol is poorly absorbed and around 2/3rds are produced by the liver, so cholesterol production will be covered by the body especially in a caloric surplus.

 

[Tomgrass]

I use some coconut oil to fry chicken , eat oats , cod liver oil , square or two of 85% dark chocolate after dinner and it is easy to hit needed fats. If you have 5 or 6 meals and every has just as little as 10 grams of fats it adds up to needed fat. Low fat is great , very low fat- not so much. Even oat milk i use to my coffee has some fats.

 

[signalguy]

When cutting with a 1,000 calorie deficit I only get around 105g (.50g per lb).

When bulking with a 500 calorie surplus I get around 170g (.75g per lb).


I don't add any supplemental protein at all anymore... I monitor calories daily using Microsoft excel. I have slowly came down over the years scared that I need 2.0g, 1.5g, and then 1.0g... after several cuts/bulks. I notice I hold just as much muscle on a cut even if I have no supplemental protein.

However, if I don't train each body part 2x per week I will start to lose muscle on a cut. If I don't get enough sleep (6-7+ hours week) I will start to lose muscle on cut as well.

1. Training volume (for me it's no less than each body part 2x per week for a total of 18 sets total per week)
2. Sleep
3. Caloric intake specific to your goal
4. Consistency with #1-3

This is what works for me. Adjusting macros has never had any noticeable difference to me, ever. If I do high protein, I actually get a little flat. Even if macros/high protein does make a difference that I can't notice, it is pennies on the dollar... and not worth whatever limits it sets on my life.

I am 37 and started lifting before I was a teenager. Have tried every training split, volume, diet, macro setup, you name it.

I know everyone is different based on activity levels, etc. but I'm curious what your calories are on both your cut and bulk. Also, do you prefer to do cardio during your cuts so you can eat more?

 

[Joltan]

I know everyone is different based on activity levels, etc. but I'm curious what your calories are on both your cut and bulk. Also, do you prefer to do cardio during your cuts so you can eat more?

For maintenance calories I simply multiply my bodyweight by 14 or 15. I live in Michigan, so in the cold months I do x14. In the summer I am more active (cycling, kayaking, walking, yardwork, etc.) so I do x15.

For cuts I subtract 1,000 calories/day to lose 2lbs of fat per week (every 3,500 calories is equal to 1lb). I lift 6x per week, and find that this works good if I don't want to do any cardio. If I do add in cardio, I simply add whatever amount of calories I burn back into my diet (so if you cycle daily for 45 minutes and burn 500 calories each time, you would want to add in 500 calories/day of food). So, you can make adjustments based on hunger levels. The key is to never go over 2lbs per week... if you do you will start to lose more muscle than fat. If you notice you are losing a little bit too much muscle on cuts, you can cut it back to 1-1.5lb fat loss per week.

For example, I am 215lbs at the moment - so I would do the following:
- 215lbs x 15 = 3,225 daily calories for maintenance
- For cutting w/ no added cardio: 3,225 - 1,000 = 2,225 daily calories to burn 2lbs per week
- For cutting w/ 45min added cardio (each cardio session burns 500 calories): 3,225 - 1,000 + 500 = 2,725 daily calories to burn 2lbs per week w/ daily cardio
- For bulking: 3,225 + 500 = 3,775 daily calories to bulk/add 1.0lbs of mass per week
- For bulking: 3,225 + 750 = 3,975 daily calories to bulk/add 1.5lbs of mass per week

When I am cutting I find that the best way to know if I am holding or losing muscle is to measure my arms. For me I stay relatively lean so my arms never get much appreciable fat on them. So I know they should never lose much size at all - maybe 1/4" every 20lbs or so. The reason I do this is because when dieting, you tend to get a little flat. Expect to lose maybe 1/8-1/4" in size in the first week (and then use that number as a baseline), but don't be alarmed because it is just reduced water from eating less calories/carbs, so you really didn't lose anything. After that you shouldn't lose much at all. A lot of people think they are losing muscle when they are cutting simply due to the fact that they are 'flat'. The measuring tape trick helps me know if I am really losing muscle or not. (If your training volume decreases, you will lose up to 1/4" in size as well - just due to water. It will return once you get back to normal schedule.)