Hi there,

I've just finished reading Protein Power, and everything in there makes sense, except for one little detail.

Protein intake scales with your LBM (Lean body mass), so a person with more LBM (i have an LBM of 182) requires more protein (i need approx. 128 g/day).

Now, wouldn't it also make sense that protein intake should vary according to LBM? Wouldn't a person with an LBM of, say , 125, be required to cut carbs more then someone of my LBM?

The reason i wonder about this is that getting 43 grams of protein per meal pretty much implies that i can't keep carbs below 25 grams a day... this isn't a problem, since i'm in phase 2, but still.

I'm trying to avoid using protein supplements as much as possible, (shake for breakfast is ok, but i need variety, and i'm a pretty big fan of "real" food) but i fear that will be difficult. I'm allowed 55 g/d of carbs right now, and i average 20 -> 25 grams per meal, which of course is over my limit..

Hi there King

The Eades base protein consumption on LBM because of the nature of protein - it's absolutely necessary and the more muscle and lean mass you have the more you need. This makes sense to both of us

The initial lowering of carbs when you begin LCing is to force your body to switch to burning fat for fuel - but as it turns out your body doesn't just burn one or the other, some carbs are burned for fuel.

Carbohydrates, except in small quantities, unlike protein, are not necessary for life. However, those of us who are more active can handle higher carb levels. Often we need higher carb levels because we are more active. I had to raise mine when I started weight training and high intensity interval training (from 20-30g to 40-60g of effective carbs).

Following your reasoning someone with more LBM requires (or more accurately, can handle) more carbs. My theory is close, but differs slightly - Someone who is more active will require more carbs because they are increasing their LBM. I scale my carbs based on my level of activity for the day.



How many meals a day do you eat? I average between 180-230g or protein a day spread over 6 or 7 meals. Sometimes I use the powders, but getting protein in with poultry/beef/pork doesn't mess excessively with my carb counts. What are you eating on a daily basis that puts your carbs at 25g per meal? BTW, being only 16 lbs away from your goal perhaps you should be increasing carbs (especially if you are losing at a steady rate)

It might make you feel more at ease to know that carb limits changed with Protein Power Lifeplan - Phase I is now 20-40g of EC and Phase II is 50g a day.


HTH
Nat

'k that makes a little more sense. So for example, tomorrow, since i'm biking to my volleyball game (1/2 hour) then playing beach volleyball (2 hours) then biking home, i could get away with a few more carbs.



I must be getting my information from the wrong sources, or else i'm doing something wrong. I'm having 3 meals a day, plus some snacks (usually a few nuts, or maybe an apple or peach)

The problem lies mostly with lunch and breakfast. I work a crazy schedule, and it's difficult for me to prepare my own lunch, so most of the time i go for a Subway roast chicken salad with double meat (almost 40 grams of protein) but with something on the order of 15 grams of carbs BEFORE the dressing. I figure with a premade dressing i'm around 20->25 easy (and the people at my subway don't understand the term "a little dressing")

I also can't really stomach large amounts of meat for breakfast (hence me going on the shakes) . In the shakes, if i put milk, berries, or peaches in there, won't i end up with some large ammount of carbs?


One last question: How long are proteins in the body for? e.g. for how long are they available as an energy and muscle building source? I know we're supposed to spread them out over the day, but is it important to have the protein before excercise?

Most definitely. More carbs and more protein (if you can manage that!).

With 3 meals a day and few snacks I estimate you're eating around 128g of protein a day - you could stand more. The .6g per lb of LBM formula is for the sedentary, you're using .7g or around there right? Try .8 on the days you engage in a lot of exercise. (Frankly I do 1g - 1.5g per lb of Body Weight on lifting days)



Not necessarily - you're eating as we have been conditioned to eat, 3 large meals and a few snacks. Eating 6 or 7 'meals' a day is new to most people, but once you try it, it becomes very natural. By protioning your macronutrients out throughout the day you are constantly supplying your body with what it needs to function optimally. Metabolism is raised and blood sugar/insulin is stabilized. Snacks and 'main meals' lose meaning - every time you sit down to eat you're having roughly the same amount of calories (and macronutrients - so there are no spikes from carbs alone or carbs all in one meal).



Berries arent bad - peaches aren't either (around 11g for a small one if I remember from last years' peach season). Milk however is unnecessary. Use water, if you need that creaminess, add cream. Remember, fat is not the enemy. BTW, are you subtracting your fiber grams? One cup of raspberries may have 29g of carbs but 14 of those are fiber (and do not count).

Not sure about the Subway numbers - are there croutons in the salads? I know that at Wendy's croutons are 9 of the 11g of carbs in one of their salads.



Proteins are used for muscle repair and growth, for enzyme creation, for hormones. The exact amount of time ? Not sure - but you can be sure I'm going to try to find out. Protein does empty from the stomach slower than carbs, but not as slowly as fat does. Combining the two (fat and protein) makes the process take even more time.

As for having protein before working out - yes, it's a good idea. Especially if muscle growth is your goal. It is also important to have some after working out to provide your body what it needs to make repairs (or it will go scavanging elsewhere in your body to find this).

How about eggs for breakfast? 3 or 4 with some cottage cheese makes for a good protein punch. (But I agree with you on the shakes - they do make for a good on the run first thing in the morning meal)

Cheers,
Nat

Actually, i went with 0.75 since I didn't quite fit in either description. ..



But my major question is, What do you eat during these meals? I can't nip off for a mini lunch twice a day at my current work, and I'm realistically not a whole lot of good at preparing food in the morning. I have my shake in the morning (i'm trying different recipes.)
then a low carb lunch, and then i eat around 7, and i have a little snack before going to bed... where do you fit in the other meals?



Most of the time. I must forget every so often, which is probably why i'm getting paranoid..



no croutons per say, but i think they put that awful processed cheese into the equation, which i never go for. I get lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, 2 things of roasted chicken, jalapenos and vinegrette... seems ok to me.



I think i'm going to have to start boiling some hard boiled eggs and bringing them to work.. just as a protein boost. Breakfast is going to have to stay at shake levels (though i guess i could bring the shake ingredients to work and make them there, and have the eggs for breaky) I dont have a whole lot of time in the mornings is my main problem.

I guess a lot of it comes down to planning.

I don't think i'm doing as bad as i once thought, after talking to you (thanks!!!), i'll try upping the protein.

Any other good quick boosts of protein (i went out and bought pure beef salami, a big nice dry one, the other day.. A good chunk of that should be a good quick boost)

I have been on a hard boiled egg kick of late to be honest - with extra mayo. I have 2 oz baggies of macadamia nuts everywhere (this is mostly fat and not protein). Hungarian salami w/ cream cheese rolled up inside it. Cold spicy chicken wings.

A big part of being successful for me is planning - I boil up the eggs twice a week, a dozen at a time and just grab and go. I cook up 5 or 6 chicken breasts and portion them out into baggies for lunches/dinners/breakfasts. We never BBQ just one steak in my house - there are always left overs. I make extra broccoli, cauliflower.

I fit the meals in every 3 hours or so - granted I have the luxury of a kitchen at my office. I keep nuts in my purse or in the car so I'm never left short. And there is always a McDonalds or Wendy's handy for a double quarter pounder w/ cheese (hold the bun please)



Seems ok to me too - I'm trying to figure out where all the carbs are



Absolutely. The great thing about planning is it does become second nature as well!



I'd have to agree with you. Obviously what you're doing is working. What you need to think about now, IMHO, is what you're going to do 16 lbs from now. It may seem early, but it's getting to be time to start thinking about Maintenance

Nat

<looks up nutritional information on Macadamia nuts> Wow! i love macadamia nuts, and i didn't realize they were THAT low carb. the other nut i love is walnuts, and they are about the same.. Woohoo!

I'm going to go grocery shopping again (that's something i do a lot more often now that pasta and rice are out of my diet) and pickup another dozen eggs, more cauliflower and broccoli, another stack of sliced salami, those are all great ideas!



I think it's in the fact that the chicken is processed... probably in the fillers of in the chicken breast



well, 216 is a "realistic" goal weight. I'd like to go down to 206 (limit of my ideal body weight) but i figure if i keep it between those two i should be pretty good.

As for the maintenance, i'm going to start working rice back into my diet. i can live without bread, i can live without pasta, but rice is killing me.