ddrudd's Journal, 22 June 2023

Beat your goals for fiber and protein, and consume them at every meal. Try to get your fiber from vegetables and fruits, rather than grains, and you’ll have an easier time keeping calories in check, as long as you don’t add sugar or a lot of cheese. I have a hard time with appetite when I try to cut fat calories. Pay attention to what you’re eating and how it affects your appetite; you might find it helpful. 

@tomlong thank you for your response. I’m pretty much doing all the things you suggested so maybe I’m not too far off track to start. TBH I’m not sure how to portion my macros so I’ve been just watching what I’m doing for a while, and I’m a little all over the place 🫣 Always get enough protein but then feel like I don’t have enough calories left for all the carbs and fats I want, lol 

It is very hard to lift hard and gain muscle without eating a lot and gaining some fat. Use protein bars and shakes to keep your protein levels up with fewer calories. (Or tons of grilled skinless boneless chicken breasts). I have always read to keep the fat down and build muscle at the same time most recommend keeping a 40% carb 20% fat 40% protein macro ratio. Eat at least 1 gram protein for every pound of body weight each day broken up in 5 servings over the day. Maintain slight calorie deficit to calories burned. 200 to 500 calorie deficit to burn off fat. Maybe a little more protein if Iin calorie deficit, 1.2 to 1.4g protein per pound of body weight. To maintain fat and build muscle 100-200 calorie surplus no more. Caffeine before a workout helps if on calorie deficit. Take a daily multivitamin especially when on calorie deficit as it can be hard to eat that little fat and get all the vitamins you need. I use Apple Watch to monitor calories burned. I wear it all day and night. There are other cheaper option like Fitbit and others. Remember fat grams have more than twice the calories than carb and protein grams. That is a lot of cardio to to build muscle. You would be better off with slight calorie deficit than with the tons of cardio. Lots of good information here about nutrition for lifters. https://www.muscleandstrength.com/store/search/articles?q=Nutrition 

Out of curiosity... how many calories are you taking in?  

That is a lot of activity. How’s your recovery? 

wow I thought I was active you take it to another level! our bodies are all different but that's going to be tough to recover from. have you always done this much activity or is this something still pretty new to you?  

Regarding wanting to feel full. I have the same problem. Drink more water, that helps a little. You are very active so salt intake is probably not an a issue for you. Salty popcorn (either air popped or olive oil) will help you feel full. Drink lots of water with it. It will be water weight, but that comes off easy. Lastly, embrace intermittent fasting. Sleeping on an empty stomach is easyier. I am trying to train myself to appreciate the feeling of an empty stomach... I don't know if that is actually going to work long term. 

@gettingcut wow that’s a lot of info, I’ll have to do some reading I guess! Thanks! 

@davidsprincess according to an online calculator I’m supposed to eat around 2100 but most days it’s more like 2200-2600 😬 On hike days I give myself no limit, I track but still usually end up in a deficit according to my activity tracker.  

@supergainz and otb - my recovery varies, lol. But if I don’t sleep well or my resting heart rate goes up in my watch, I keep the intensity down for the next day or two. And if I climb or train jiu jitsu I replace another workout with that. I guess it sounds like a lot but it’s a lot of small sessions through the week instead of fewer big sessions. My running distance isn’t even that much! The thing that is hard to recover from is the hike adventures, those can add a lot of fatigue 😬 And otb- I have been pretty active for the last 12 years or so. Age 26 I decided I hated my sedentary life and needed to make a change and never really looked back, it’s also these activities that are my main social outlets so it fills a couple buckets 😄 

@penderg salty snacks, my favorite 😄 

nice you sound like the female version of myself 🤣 using all the watch data to monitor recovery and calorie expenditure plus we do all the same activities besides the jujitsu it's actually kinda scary 🤣. since we share so much in common I will tell you the things after much testing I figured out worked for me and might work for you. your activity level and recovery would benefit from a high carb high protein diet and going low on your fats will allow you to have more calories in your daily bank to work on feeling full. eating some foods that are low in calories but more bulk and higher fiber will help you feel full as well. the other thing that was really hurting my progress was overtrianing on the weight lifting I was hammering myself 5 or 6 days a week doing a Push pull legs split. I switched over to a full body every other day split and have been much better off because of it and it has allowed me extra days to do some of those other activities that I enjoy. these all played a big role in the hunger levels as well. it takes some tweaking to figure out what works for your body so testing out different things can really pay big dividends when you figure out that perfect fit that works for you. so even if you don't try anything I listed I woudl still suggest playing around with different fuel/food sources and play around with how you schedule your workouts 👍 good luck 

Thank God. I thought you were going to say 1200... 😄 

@davidsprincess - lol I would die at only 1200 😂 @otb - wow thanks for all that info! You’re the second person to say high carb high protein, low fat. That would be a kinda big adjustment for me, I do like the fats 🙂 but I think it’s worth trying to see if I feel better. I love seeing the progress in the gym but it’s always tempered by the fact that I can see the fat I’m adding more than I can see the muscle 😩😭😂 so then I feel bad about myself for eating too much… and I really don’t want to be beating myself up about that, I may eat too much but it’s all pretty healthy. What macro split do you use? 

I do the same as @Tom and @Otb: I fill up with fiber to keep my calories and fat consumption low. I only consume grains (rice, oats, quinoa, etc) a couple times a week. Instead I eat cruciferous veggies (spinach, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, etc). Like a whole head of red cabbage roasted for lunch. I am never hungry and there’s no need for supplements. 

My daily calories change based on my daily activity so my macros percentages change a bit everyday but around 50 percent carbs 30 percent protein and 20 percent fats. This was after making small changes over time that I figured out this worked best for me. The running and the weight lifting love the high carbs for fuel. Play around with yours a bit and see how your body reacts  

@justbananas - wow, never hungry! Sounds amazing. I also eat quite a bit of fiber, I aim for a minimum of twice the RDA for women, but I’m happy to eat much more than that any given day. Last night dinner was a bowl containing four servings of Brussels sprouts, various mixed leaves, and lean chicken breast. I had to eat from a mixing bowl there was so much stuff 😂 but… I was still hungry after 😩 😭 

@otb alright I’m gonna try to up the carbs and protein a little and lower the fats and see how that works out….. well, after I have some pizza tonight 😏 thanks so much for sharing!! Really appreciate how helpful folks are here 😄 

I generally eat an entire bag of spinach in one sitting, a pound of Brussel sprouts, etc for lunch and repeat with a different veggie at dinner, along with homemade soup or stir fry or curry. But it does take me 1-2 hours to eat a meal, so if you are still hungry, I would suggest just slowing down. Most people seem to race through it and clear their plates in less than 10 minutes. 

@cheesegobbler - 1. I love your username 🤣 2. Thanks for your words of caution, and yeah, I have no interest in fasting or keto or anything other than getting as much nutrients/fuel as I need without going overboard. (I get it if that works for other people but those methods are just not consistent with my lifestyle or goals) I agree rest/recovery is a big part of it too!