Discussion
OK, so at the risk of starting another bun fight, protein...is it worth supplementing. I am an experienced weightlifter and rarely bothered throughout my life, I had a lot of muscle when I was younger, trained hard and got to decent numbers. Now I'm in my 50s, enjoying my training after a hiatus of a few years, but I am on a strict weekday calorie defect, less than 2000 most days, nearer 1500 for some of them.
I am vegan and have been for four years, and I know I don't take in nearly enough protein. I held onto my strength and muscle mass for many years as a vegetarian then a vegan buy again, didn't think about my diet much, have always carried too much fat and have, I guess, been relying on 'strength' genetics for a long time. So, currently just over 290lb and I guess my 'lean' weight would likely be @220lb or 100kg. Even at that I'm looking at 220g of protein a day to sustain and build muscle. My lifts are all going up as it is, and weight is coming off, but I am aware I will hit a wall at some point.
Now, decent vegan protein powder is @23g of protein for a 30g serving and @130 calories. So, even if I took 9 scoops over the course of a day with water, if be looking at just under 200g of protein and @1270 calories which is a big dent into my allocated amount. Given I am getting stronger, and I am losing weight, would it be worth supplementing that amount, or less, and restricting my daily calorie intake which is made up of veg stir fry, legumes, beans fruit and wholemeal bread products. I eat what I want at weekends.
My problem before was I was not disciplined enough, no consistency with diet etc but I AM much more organised now, prep meals and shakes etc night before, so I COULD use this tactic, even as an experiment. Now, I ain't looking for comments like 'why are you a vegan, just eat steak/chicken', that isn't an option and is a discussion for another day, just looking for genuine opinions on supplementing a part of my diet that may help and IS missing.
Current diet is relatively bland weekdays, so supplementing one of my meals for say protein, oatmeal and other seeds etc woukd not be a problem. A normal day looks like bowl of porridge and peanut butter and a single scoop protein drink, which as things are, I'd probably be as well binning out and saving the calories as its only a supplementation of maybe 30g of protein, with oat milk and chip seeds, flax etc...@ 750 calories the lot, a lunch of a banana and two satsumas, an evening meal of a home made lentil and veg soup with two pieces of wholemeal bread, or half an avocado on two pieces of wholemeal bread with mushrooms and chillis, or, well, you get the picture. I'll usually have a marmalade sandwich with a pot pf tea @8pm, bed for 9, gym @5am...that's my weekdays rinse and repeat. Gym three mornings, dog walks the other two and every evening.
Goals, I want to be stronger than the average bear...functional strength and would lije to get back to @17st long term, something I did a few years ago but that was crazy calorie deficit and lots of cardio, dropped from 'strongman physique' 24.5 to 17st, zero weights, zero food, zero fun!! I want to make life changing habits and thus far, early gym and the diet is working but I don't want to lose as much muscle as fat, so protein supplements seems sensible? Answer and opinions much appreciated, I know we have some very knowledgeable posters on here.
I am vegan and have been for four years, and I know I don't take in nearly enough protein. I held onto my strength and muscle mass for many years as a vegetarian then a vegan buy again, didn't think about my diet much, have always carried too much fat and have, I guess, been relying on 'strength' genetics for a long time. So, currently just over 290lb and I guess my 'lean' weight would likely be @220lb or 100kg. Even at that I'm looking at 220g of protein a day to sustain and build muscle. My lifts are all going up as it is, and weight is coming off, but I am aware I will hit a wall at some point.
Now, decent vegan protein powder is @23g of protein for a 30g serving and @130 calories. So, even if I took 9 scoops over the course of a day with water, if be looking at just under 200g of protein and @1270 calories which is a big dent into my allocated amount. Given I am getting stronger, and I am losing weight, would it be worth supplementing that amount, or less, and restricting my daily calorie intake which is made up of veg stir fry, legumes, beans fruit and wholemeal bread products. I eat what I want at weekends.
My problem before was I was not disciplined enough, no consistency with diet etc but I AM much more organised now, prep meals and shakes etc night before, so I COULD use this tactic, even as an experiment. Now, I ain't looking for comments like 'why are you a vegan, just eat steak/chicken', that isn't an option and is a discussion for another day, just looking for genuine opinions on supplementing a part of my diet that may help and IS missing.
Current diet is relatively bland weekdays, so supplementing one of my meals for say protein, oatmeal and other seeds etc woukd not be a problem. A normal day looks like bowl of porridge and peanut butter and a single scoop protein drink, which as things are, I'd probably be as well binning out and saving the calories as its only a supplementation of maybe 30g of protein, with oat milk and chip seeds, flax etc...@ 750 calories the lot, a lunch of a banana and two satsumas, an evening meal of a home made lentil and veg soup with two pieces of wholemeal bread, or half an avocado on two pieces of wholemeal bread with mushrooms and chillis, or, well, you get the picture. I'll usually have a marmalade sandwich with a pot pf tea @8pm, bed for 9, gym @5am...that's my weekdays rinse and repeat. Gym three mornings, dog walks the other two and every evening.
Goals, I want to be stronger than the average bear...functional strength and would lije to get back to @17st long term, something I did a few years ago but that was crazy calorie deficit and lots of cardio, dropped from 'strongman physique' 24.5 to 17st, zero weights, zero food, zero fun!! I want to make life changing habits and thus far, early gym and the diet is working but I don't want to lose as much muscle as fat, so protein supplements seems sensible? Answer and opinions much appreciated, I know we have some very knowledgeable posters on here.
NorthDave said:
I'd start slow and just add protein powder in to your existing diet. Something like adding 3 scoops in to a breakfast smoothy.
I always feel fuller and "better" after I've upped the protein but I bet I don't hit the required amounts often. I'm a heavy unit too :-)
It's the associated calories. I'm wondering if the pay off is worth it I guess. I usually lob an avocado or banana into my 'shake/smoothie' and that adds anything from 100cal to 300 or so, so I guess another two scoops of protein wouldn't be disastrous instead. Cheers for the answerI always feel fuller and "better" after I've upped the protein but I bet I don't hit the required amounts often. I'm a heavy unit too :-)
Every time I stop using protein shakes my weight and strength drops off after a few weeks, I find it difficult to eat loads of protein without thinking I'm pigging out, I'm going through that at the moment so will be ordering some more, for me it's really important that I take in at least 160g and in normal eating I only get about 100g.
Wills2 said:
Every time I stop using protein shakes my weight and strength drops off after a few weeks, I find it difficult to eat loads of protein without thinking I'm pigging out, I'm going through that at the moment so will be ordering some more, for me it's really important that I take in at least 160g and in normal eating I only get about 100g.
I'm not worried about strength, other than pressing its about where I want, I'd be happy to maintain it. I doubt I'm even eating 100g of protein just now, or have for a long time!! This is all prompted by the fact I've run out of my protein today and I'm thinking, less than 30g a day supplement is rather pointless and if I'm gonna do it, I should really do it properly. I don't like protein with water , usually use oat milk or a nut milk of some sort...yes, i KNOW they arent milk...but I guess if I made it with water and avocado or banana or another fruit and some spinach or the like that would make it more worthwhile. I'm not sure about an inability to get stronger and lose weight as that's exactly what I've been doing, but I will hit a wall at some point. Thanks for your reply.
Edited by biggbn on Tuesday 26th September 17:01
My thoughts are your calorie intake is going to be low for building muscle longer term. You will get the early gains if you haven't been training for some time but after a period of time, anything from.6-12 months depending on how hard you are.training those will end, the harder you train the sooner that will come.
It's an age old story for most gym goers trying to build muscle, to build muscle you have you be in a calorie surplus as soon as you cut your calories to shred or cut your strength goes down but you eventually see the muscle definition through losing fat.
I've been a regular in the gym for about 2.5 years now and I can lift pretty decent weight but I'm considering going on a cut over this winter for spring.
I probably consume around 100-150 grams of protein a day which is less than it should be ideally but I do get sick of it, I drink at least 2 protein shakes a day along with protein yogurts, protein bars and other things.
In relation to your protein drinks clear wheys may work with a vegan diet so worth looking into
It's an age old story for most gym goers trying to build muscle, to build muscle you have you be in a calorie surplus as soon as you cut your calories to shred or cut your strength goes down but you eventually see the muscle definition through losing fat.
I've been a regular in the gym for about 2.5 years now and I can lift pretty decent weight but I'm considering going on a cut over this winter for spring.
I probably consume around 100-150 grams of protein a day which is less than it should be ideally but I do get sick of it, I drink at least 2 protein shakes a day along with protein yogurts, protein bars and other things.
In relation to your protein drinks clear wheys may work with a vegan diet so worth looking into
Jamescrs said:
My thoughts are your calorie intake is going to be low for building muscle longer term. You will get the early gains if you haven't been training for some time but after a period of time, anything from.6-12 months depending on how hard you are.training those will end, the harder you train the sooner that will come.
It's an age old story for most gym goers trying to build muscle, to build muscle you have you be in a calorie surplus as soon as you cut your calories to shred or cut your strength goes down but you eventually see the muscle definition through losing fat.
I've been a regular in the gym for about 2.5 years now and I can lift pretty decent weight but I'm considering going on a cut over this winter for spring.
I probably consume around 100-150 grams of protein a day which is less than it should be ideally but I do get sick of it, I drink at least 2 protein shakes a day along with protein yogurts, protein bars and other things.
In relation to your protein drinks clear wheys may work with a vegan diet so worth looking into
As I've said, I'm not bothered about building muscle, it's maintaining it that I want. I'm happy with overall strength it's just pressing that lags a bit for me just now, but I can live with it. Is there such a thing as vegan whey? Dropping weight at this point in my life is much more important than packing muscle on It's an age old story for most gym goers trying to build muscle, to build muscle you have you be in a calorie surplus as soon as you cut your calories to shred or cut your strength goes down but you eventually see the muscle definition through losing fat.
I've been a regular in the gym for about 2.5 years now and I can lift pretty decent weight but I'm considering going on a cut over this winter for spring.
I probably consume around 100-150 grams of protein a day which is less than it should be ideally but I do get sick of it, I drink at least 2 protein shakes a day along with protein yogurts, protein bars and other things.
In relation to your protein drinks clear wheys may work with a vegan diet so worth looking into
Thanks for your reply
biggbn said:
Wills2 said:
Every time I stop using protein shakes my weight and strength drops off after a few weeks, I find it difficult to eat loads of protein without thinking I'm pigging out, I'm going through that at the moment so will be ordering some more, for me it's really important that I take in at least 160g and in normal eating I only get about 100g.
I'm not worried about strength, other than pressing its about where I want, I'd be happy to maintain it. I doubt I'm even eating 100g of protein just now, or have for a long time!! This is all prompted by the fact I've run out of my protein today and I'm thinking, less than 30g a day supplement is rather pointless and if I'm gonna do it, I should really do it properly. I don't like protein with water , usually use oat milk or a nut milk of some sort...yes, i KNOW they arent milk...but I guess if I made it with water and avocado or banana or another fruit and some spinach or the like that would make it more worthwhile. I'm not sure about an inability to get stronger and lose weight as that's exactly what I've been doing, but I will hit a wall at some point. Thanks for your reply.
Edited by biggbn on Tuesday 26th September 17:01
Certainly possible to lose weight and get stronger but I think you need to take in a larger proportion of protein than when on a normal maintenance diet, if someone was eating 2500cals and 150g of protein then went on a deficit of say 600cals to lose weight of 1900 they should still take in the 150g.
I would aim for 1.6g protein per kg at your weight which is spot on at 290lb (130ish kg).
That is going to be really tough as a vegan and to be brutally honest I would maybe set your sights a bit lower initially. Is it ‘optimal’… no. But neither is 9 scoops of protein 😅
I’d cut out things like banana and avo in your shakes as you don’t likely need additional volume of fruit and veg on your diet. Adding a couple of scoops of something like RawSport nutrition to your morning oats would be a good shout. Maybe the same again mixed in with a vegan yoghurt at night for a pudding?
I’d then focus on things like seitan, tempeh, tofu etc for your main meals. This would get you in the region of 150-200ish I would expect!
1,500 - 2,000 cals for a 130kg man is so so low!
I’d start up at 2,500 ish which will allow you more wiggle room to keep protein high and prevent too much loss of muscle.
Can always bring it down as you go 👌🏼
That is going to be really tough as a vegan and to be brutally honest I would maybe set your sights a bit lower initially. Is it ‘optimal’… no. But neither is 9 scoops of protein 😅
I’d cut out things like banana and avo in your shakes as you don’t likely need additional volume of fruit and veg on your diet. Adding a couple of scoops of something like RawSport nutrition to your morning oats would be a good shout. Maybe the same again mixed in with a vegan yoghurt at night for a pudding?
I’d then focus on things like seitan, tempeh, tofu etc for your main meals. This would get you in the region of 150-200ish I would expect!
1,500 - 2,000 cals for a 130kg man is so so low!
I’d start up at 2,500 ish which will allow you more wiggle room to keep protein high and prevent too much loss of muscle.
Can always bring it down as you go 👌🏼
biggbn said:
As I've said, I'm not bothered about building muscle, it's maintaining it that I want. I'm happy with overall strength it's just pressing that lags a bit for me just now, but I can live with it. Is there such a thing as vegan whey? Dropping weight at this point in my life is much more important than packing muscle on
Thanks for your reply
There's definatwly Vegan wheys, the supplement shop local to me sells it but I don't know the brand name but its out there. Thanks for your reply
I've started ordering from a company called CN Sport they are very good with advice or you could look at My Protein, I believe they do their own branded Vegan Protein
Ah I've just noticed the OPs starting weight and I think the protein g intake at a certain weight becomes counter productive if we're asking the OP to hit 1,6g per lb body weight that's 464g of protein and I'm not sure that is going to help with weight loss as that's nearly 4lbs of beef a day, in fact for me that's far too much for a 50 year old that puts my intake at 300g and I wouldn't do that, I'd say 1g per lb max.
To go from 24st to 17st you're going to have to accept a loss in muscle and static strength as part of the process and build from there but that will be balanced by feeling faster/lighter and more agile and you'll be able to perform other strength exercises that perhaps you can't at the moment.
To go from 24st to 17st you're going to have to accept a loss in muscle and static strength as part of the process and build from there but that will be balanced by feeling faster/lighter and more agile and you'll be able to perform other strength exercises that perhaps you can't at the moment.
Thanks for all the advice. I had thought whey by definition had to be dairy? The fruit in my shakes is more for taste and to fill me up, I find avocado very good for this, and it is gull of 'good' fat and oils. My current regime still enables me to lift decent weights so I don't think the muscle I have is going anywhere soon, I've avoided injury in thirty years of proper heavy training so I'm hoping this has given me a good base for the weights I'm now lifting. My workouts are less than forty minutes long by the way, in and out of gym before 6am.
No pun intended but lots of food for thought so far!!
Ps, I don't count calories fanatically so the numbers are approximate, and I don't count weekends at all, dread to think what that adds up to
No pun intended but lots of food for thought so far!!
Ps, I don't count calories fanatically so the numbers are approximate, and I don't count weekends at all, dread to think what that adds up to
Wills2 said:
Ah I've just noticed the OPs starting weight and I think the protein g intake at a certain weight becomes counter productive if we're asking the OP to hit 1,6g per lb body weight that's 464g of protein and I'm not sure that is going to help with weight loss as that's nearly 4lbs of beef a day, in fact for me that's far too much for a 50 year old that puts my intake at 300g and I wouldn't do that, I'd say 1g per lb max.
To go from 24st to 17st you're going to have to accept a loss in muscle and static strength as part of the process and build from there but that will be balanced by feeling faster/lighter and more agile and you'll be able to perform other strength exercises that perhaps you can't at the moment.
I'm working out my protein intake for lean bodyweight, so @100kg give or takeTo go from 24st to 17st you're going to have to accept a loss in muscle and static strength as part of the process and build from there but that will be balanced by feeling faster/lighter and more agile and you'll be able to perform other strength exercises that perhaps you can't at the moment.
Edit. Dropped from 24.5st to 17st4 previously and with hindsight, I liked the feeling. I have changed careers and now no longer 'need' the physical armour or the psychological crutch of being strong, but I do believe that preserving above average functional strength is a necessity as we get older as the tendons/ligaments/muscles hold everything together, stronger the better!! I gave up a lot of strength last time I did it because the gyms were closed so I threw myself into a strict cardio regime. Weight went back on when I started my new career and did jot keep up the cardio with the other negative that I'd broken an almost lifetimes habit of weight training, ah, he's, the covid years!!
Been back in gym for almost three months now so I think the habit is formed, any accrued aches and pains seem to have vanished while training but I do get rather stiff after sitting or sleeping for a while, but this soon 'walks off'. All thing considered, I'd rather be lighter and smaller and enjoy my retirement when it finally comes!!
Edited by biggbn on Tuesday 26th September 18:48
Wills2 said:
Ah I've just noticed the OPs starting weight and I think the protein g intake at a certain weight becomes counter productive if we're asking the OP to hit 1,6g per lb body weight that's 464g of protein and I'm not sure that is going to help with weight loss as that's nearly 4lbs of beef a day, in fact for me that's far too much for a 50 year old that puts my intake at 300g and I wouldn't do that, I'd say 1g per lb max.
To go from 24st to 17st you're going to have to accept a loss in muscle and static strength as part of the process and build from there but that will be balanced by feeling faster/lighter and more agile and you'll be able to perform other strength exercises that perhaps you can't at the moment.
I was under the impression 1.6g-2.2g/kg of total body weight was considered the optimal for protein intake with regards to building/maintaining muscle.To go from 24st to 17st you're going to have to accept a loss in muscle and static strength as part of the process and build from there but that will be balanced by feeling faster/lighter and more agile and you'll be able to perform other strength exercises that perhaps you can't at the moment.
g3org3y said:
Wills2 said:
Ah I've just noticed the OPs starting weight and I think the protein g intake at a certain weight becomes counter productive if we're asking the OP to hit 1,6g per lb body weight that's 464g of protein and I'm not sure that is going to help with weight loss as that's nearly 4lbs of beef a day, in fact for me that's far too much for a 50 year old that puts my intake at 300g and I wouldn't do that, I'd say 1g per lb max.
To go from 24st to 17st you're going to have to accept a loss in muscle and static strength as part of the process and build from there but that will be balanced by feeling faster/lighter and more agile and you'll be able to perform other strength exercises that perhaps you can't at the moment.
I was under the impression 1.6g-2.2g/kg of total body weight was considered the optimal for protein intake with regards to building/maintaining muscle.To go from 24st to 17st you're going to have to accept a loss in muscle and static strength as part of the process and build from there but that will be balanced by feeling faster/lighter and more agile and you'll be able to perform other strength exercises that perhaps you can't at the moment.
Funnily enough, I was checking protein intake out yesterday as every Instagram
I come across "Update on vegetarian and vegan athletes: a review" on Google Scholar.
It states:
"Traditional recommendations indicate high-performance athletes require 1.2-2.0 g/kg/ day of protein according to sport category".
The reference for this:
Thomas DT, Erdman KA and Burke LM. 2016. American
College of Sports Medicine Joint Position Statement. Nutrition and athletic performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 48: 543-
568. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000852.
It then goes onto say " however newer recommendations suggest 1.6 g/kg and up to 2.2g/kg depending on type of sport and goals"
The reference for this:
Stokes T, Hector AJ, Morton RW, McGlory C and Phillips
SM. 2018. Recent perspectives regarding the role of dietary
protein for the promotion of muscle hypertrophy with resistance exercise training. Nutrients 10: 180. doi: 10.3390/
nu10020180.
There is a conclusion that then cites a table from "Nutrition and Supplement Update for the Endurance Athlete: Review and Recommendations 2019". That paper states for endurance athletes "Protein 1.4g/kg/day with around 0.3g/kg every 3-5 hrs".
ZOE also did a podcast with Stanford's Professor Christopher Gardner, watched it a few months back but sure it stated the RDA of 0.8g/kg is fine for nearly everyone (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMwf_9wqWY0&ab_channel=ZOE)
Clear as mud!
Personally, i'm aiming for at least around 85g per day. This is around 1.1-1.2g per kg of bodyweight. Keeps it simple to calculate and not overly difficult to consume. Two scoops of vegan protein powder with a glass of soy milk and around two thirds of the way there. Granted, i'm more into cardio/running etc than weightlifting.
biggbn said:
g3org3y said:
Wills2 said:
Ah I've just noticed the OPs starting weight and I think the protein g intake at a certain weight becomes counter productive if we're asking the OP to hit 1,6g per lb body weight that's 464g of protein and I'm not sure that is going to help with weight loss as that's nearly 4lbs of beef a day, in fact for me that's far too much for a 50 year old that puts my intake at 300g and I wouldn't do that, I'd say 1g per lb max.
To go from 24st to 17st you're going to have to accept a loss in muscle and static strength as part of the process and build from there but that will be balanced by feeling faster/lighter and more agile and you'll be able to perform other strength exercises that perhaps you can't at the moment.
I was under the impression 1.6g-2.2g/kg of total body weight was considered the optimal for protein intake with regards to building/maintaining muscle.To go from 24st to 17st you're going to have to accept a loss in muscle and static strength as part of the process and build from there but that will be balanced by feeling faster/lighter and more agile and you'll be able to perform other strength exercises that perhaps you can't at the moment.
Discussed specifically about 3 mins in.
30kg is quite a difference between where you're at now and where you want to be, given the diet you've described. 2000 calories isn't a huge amount and, as you are saying you think you're deficient in protein then most of your calorie intake is via carbohydrates? Going by your numbers I'm wondering if you're seven feet tall.
Your body responds to stresses placed upon it. How people respond to that, both in pace/onset and "volume" varies and part of all that is how your body works internally and how well it uses external help (i.e. supplements). If you're genetically that way, you can get pretty big and "strongman" with not a massive effort if you're a young male. Our bodies also respond differently to carbohydrates - some people simply balloon if you wave a bit of white bread at them. Our relationship with carbohydrates seems to get worse as we get older and simple carbohydrates need to be consumed quickly otherwise your body will dutifully store them in your fat stores. The more "complex" the carbodyrates, the longer it takes for them to break down. You've got to consume the energy when it becomes available - so time them so they kick in when you're at the gym.
So I'd move that marmalade sandwich to before you go to the gym. Does the tea have sugar? The marmalade thing sounds like splitting hairs but my own experience, as a 50 year old, with consuming simple carbohydrates before sleeping is that I seem to have some magic energy multiplication process going on in my body which can turn 100grams of bread into 200grams of fat!
So I'd proceed with what you're planning with regards to extra protein. It sort of sounds like you're not getting enough total energy and you'd want to take that in via protein.
Your body responds to stresses placed upon it. How people respond to that, both in pace/onset and "volume" varies and part of all that is how your body works internally and how well it uses external help (i.e. supplements). If you're genetically that way, you can get pretty big and "strongman" with not a massive effort if you're a young male. Our bodies also respond differently to carbohydrates - some people simply balloon if you wave a bit of white bread at them. Our relationship with carbohydrates seems to get worse as we get older and simple carbohydrates need to be consumed quickly otherwise your body will dutifully store them in your fat stores. The more "complex" the carbodyrates, the longer it takes for them to break down. You've got to consume the energy when it becomes available - so time them so they kick in when you're at the gym.
So I'd move that marmalade sandwich to before you go to the gym. Does the tea have sugar? The marmalade thing sounds like splitting hairs but my own experience, as a 50 year old, with consuming simple carbohydrates before sleeping is that I seem to have some magic energy multiplication process going on in my body which can turn 100grams of bread into 200grams of fat!
So I'd proceed with what you're planning with regards to extra protein. It sort of sounds like you're not getting enough total energy and you'd want to take that in via protein.
rodericb said:
30kg is quite a difference between where you're at now and where you want to be, given the diet you've described. 2000 calories isn't a huge amount and, as you are saying you think you're deficient in protein then most of your calorie intake is via carbohydrates? Going by your numbers I'm wondering if you're seven feet tall.
Your body responds to stresses placed upon it. How people respond to that, both in pace/onset and "volume" varies and part of all that is how your body works internally and how well it uses external help (i.e. supplements). If you're genetically that way, you can get pretty big and "strongman" with not a massive effort if you're a young male. Our bodies also respond differently to carbohydrates - some people simply balloon if you wave a bit of white bread at them. Our relationship with carbohydrates seems to get worse as we get older and simple carbohydrates need to be consumed quickly otherwise your body will dutifully store them in your fat stores. The more "complex" the carbodyrates, the longer it takes for them to break down. You've got to consume the energy when it becomes available - so time them so they kick in when you're at the gym.
So I'd move that marmalade sandwich to before you go to the gym. Does the tea have sugar? The marmalade thing sounds like splitting hairs but my own experience, as a 50 year old, with consuming simple carbohydrates before sleeping is that I seem to have some magic energy multiplication process going on in my body which can turn 100grams of bread into 200grams of fat!
So I'd proceed with what you're planning with regards to extra protein. It sort of sounds like you're not getting enough total energy and you'd want to take that in via protein.
I'm @5ft 11in!! I guess we are getting into diet and goals discussions rather than concentrating on upping protein intake here... think I will buy more at the end of the month and try upping it to @150g a day, kept within my calorie deficit and see how we go. Your body responds to stresses placed upon it. How people respond to that, both in pace/onset and "volume" varies and part of all that is how your body works internally and how well it uses external help (i.e. supplements). If you're genetically that way, you can get pretty big and "strongman" with not a massive effort if you're a young male. Our bodies also respond differently to carbohydrates - some people simply balloon if you wave a bit of white bread at them. Our relationship with carbohydrates seems to get worse as we get older and simple carbohydrates need to be consumed quickly otherwise your body will dutifully store them in your fat stores. The more "complex" the carbodyrates, the longer it takes for them to break down. You've got to consume the energy when it becomes available - so time them so they kick in when you're at the gym.
So I'd move that marmalade sandwich to before you go to the gym. Does the tea have sugar? The marmalade thing sounds like splitting hairs but my own experience, as a 50 year old, with consuming simple carbohydrates before sleeping is that I seem to have some magic energy multiplication process going on in my body which can turn 100grams of bread into 200grams of fat!
So I'd proceed with what you're planning with regards to extra protein. It sort of sounds like you're not getting enough total energy and you'd want to take that in via protein.
I have honey in my tea, not sugar, but its just really the same thing in different package aint it, two pots a day, one @6am, one at 8pm and yes, I shouldn't have my 'sweet treat' at night, that much I know. My understanding thoigh is being in a deficit and being active means my body shoukd burn fat, getting its calories from itself, perhaps a simplification but this is what has worked before for me.
Thanks everyone for their input. Off for a walk with my dogs right now!!
Edited by biggbn on Wednesday 27th September 06:30
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff