Making up calories with fat?

[allender1]

Hi guys. I'd love to have time to write a proper post but I don't have a second to myself these days - just thought I'd get some advice asap before I possibly **** up and get fat.

Basically: Bulked to 175 last year no probs, cut back, now can't gain/even lose 1lb some weeks.

Backstory:
forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=139676443&page=1

Example day, copied from above link

Porridge, banana, scoop of protein with water
Scoop of protein with pint of skim milk
Whole pasta and can of tuna
Scoop of protein with pint of semi milk
Peanut butter and banana sandwich, brown bread
Dinner - rice, sweet potato, chicken breast, salad
Scoop of protein with pint of semi milk

3200 cals, 290g protein, 380 carbs, 55g fat.


As stated in that link I've put my cals up by changing to full fat milk. However, this means for some days I'm at 4k cals (300g protein, 400g carbs, 125g fat!). Other days are as low as 3300 cals with 250g/330g/110g.

I figure this is too much fat but literally the only thing I can do to get more cals is drink full milk in my shakes.

So my question is - is it ok to make up the calories I need to gain weight with fat, or is that just going to go on as fat? I always get between 200 and 300g protein so I figure I'm not losing muscle...

[xmohamm1]

Hi guys. I'd love to have time to write a proper post but I don't have a second to myself these days - just thought I'd get some advice asap before I possibly **** up and get fat.

Basically: Bulked to 175 last year no probs, cut back, now can't gain/even lose 1lb some weeks.

Backstory:
forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=139676443&page=1

Example day, copied from above link

Porridge, banana, scoop of protein with water
Scoop of protein with pint of skim milk
Whole pasta and can of tuna
Scoop of protein with pint of semi milk
Peanut butter and banana sandwich, brown bread
Dinner - rice, sweet potato, chicken breast, salad
Scoop of protein with pint of semi milk

3200 cals, 290g protein, 380 carbs, 55g fat.


As stated in that link I've put my cals up by changing to full fat milk. However, this means for some days I'm at 4k cals (300g protein, 400g carbs, 125g fat!). Other days are as low as 3300 cals with 250g/330g/110g.

I figure this is too much fat but literally the only thing I can do to get more cals is drink full milk in my shakes.

So my question is - is it ok to make up the calories I need to gain weight with fat, or is that just going to go on as fat? I always get between 200 and 300g protein so I figure I'm not losing muscle...

You're good. In general, as long as your hitting at least 1g/lb of protein, you should be fine (bulk, maintainence or cut, although when cutting you may need a lil more). And 0.5glb of fat minimum. the rest of your calories can come from where ever, either carbs, more fats or more protein, more realistically a mixture of all three...

However I would try to get the rest of your cals from micro nutrient dense foods, cuz you need to hit ur micronutrient amounts too. It looks like you've got that covered though.

[WonderPug]

Your diet is very odd in it's composition and I find it hard to believe that you're optimizing your selection of foods for satiety.

Anyway, your protein intake is wildly above sufficiency and your dietary fat intake is deficient. Thus, you should at the very least increase dietary fat intake and you can dramatically reduce protein intake and substitute more fat and/or CHO if you prefer to compose your diet that way.

FYI: Bodyweight and composition is governed by energy balance micro/macronutrient sufficiency. To learn how to properly compose your diet, please see: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...#post436716771

[Christiffer]

You could drop protein some. You don't really need that much.

Pug, correct me if I'm wrong but I think he revised his macros and is now sufficient.

[allender1]

Deficient? I presume that's in response to the original 50/60g of fat.

0.5g of fat MINIMUM? Ah, I see - that's alright then.

I was just a bit worried as my macro %s are looking pretty ****ed up with the new diet. I'll post them up:

Monday 3400 cals, 30% prot, 45% carb, 25% fat
Tuesday 3400 cals, 30% prot, 40% carb, 30% fat
Weds 4000 cals, 30% prot, 35% carb, 35% fat
Thurs 4100 cals, 30% prot, 40% carb, 30% fat
Friday 3300 cals, 28% prot, 45% carb, 28% fat
Saturday 3200 cals, 30% prot, 45% carb, 25% fat
Sunday 3300 cals 30% prot, 40% carb, 30% fat

I thought my diet was pretty well composed - Porridge, 100g pasta, tuna, 150g rice, 100g sweet potato every day without fail - along with a choice of chicken, haddock, or beef.
The rest made up of peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, and protein shakes whereever I can fit them in (typically 4 pints a day and 6 scoops of whey). Just in putting the calories up by changing the milk from a mix of skim or semi, to full fat - has put the %s way out of whack.

[WonderPug]

Pug, correct me if I'm wrong but I think he revised his macros and is now sufficient.

You're correct, as usual.

I was commenting on his existing diet. His proposed macronutrient composition meeting sufficiency but still contains an extremely high intake of protein, which will bring no special benefits nor any harm (assuming no disease contraindication).

I thought my diet was pretty well composed - Porridge, 100g pasta, tuna, 150g rice, 100g sweet potato every day without fail

That high a tuna intake puts you a risk for mercury poisoning.

[allender1]

The tuna - True, yes I have looked into this before. I should have stated that on 3 days of the week that is exchanged for eggs. 4 cans a week is still borderline as far as I know, but I've been doing it for over a year now and it seems fine. I have some weeks now and then where I am back home and eat very differently anyway, i.e detox

Yes the protein is pretty high...based on the fact that this diet first began as X amount of calories divided into 40/40/20, and my schedule leaving plenty of times when there's not much I can do other than chug another shake (often with water when I am out). I can't really fit in more carbs from whole foods into my schedule.

Ah well, as long as nothing here is a problem and the fat is ok I guess I'll carry on until new year and see if managing to up the calories on those few days + the new 3 day routine in the other post works out.
At the moment it really is pretty sucky stepping on the scale each week to find myself still at 165!

[Christiffer]

The tuna - True, yes I have looked into this before. I should have stated that on 3 days of the week that is exchanged for eggs. 4 cans a week is still borderline as far as I know, but I've been doing it for over a year now and it seems fine. I have some weeks now and then where I am back home and eat very differently anyway, i.e detox

Yes the protein is pretty high...based on the fact that this diet first began as X amount of calories divided into 40/40/20, and my schedule leaving plenty of times when there's not much I can do other than chug another shake (often with water when I am out). I can't really fit in more carbs from whole foods into my schedule.

Ah well, as long as nothing here is a problem and the fat is ok I guess I'll carry on until new year and see if managing to up the calories on those few days + the new 3 day routine in the other post works out.
At the moment it really is pretty sucky stepping on the scale each week to find myself still at 165!

You could simply cut at the Tuna, add more carbs/fat, and still be plenty sufficient in protein. Besides, carbs and fat are delicious!

[WonderPug]

The tuna - True, yes I have looked into this before. I should have stated that on 3 days of the week that is exchanged for eggs. 4 cans a week is still borderline as far as I know, but I've been doing it for over a year now and it seems fine. I have some weeks now and then where I am back home and eat very differently anyway, i.e detox

I don't think you understand the notion of heavy metal poisoning.

I don't think that you understand the basics of the safety issue. Heavy metals are chemical elements with a specific gravity that is at least five times the specific gravity of water, which is 1 at 4°C. The specific gravity may be considered as a measure of density of a given amount of solid substance, when it is compared to an equal amount of water. For example some heavy metal specific gravities are: Arsenic, 5.7; cadmium, 8.7; iron, 7.9; lead, 11.3; and mercury, 13.5. As these heavy metals are not metabolized by the body, they accumulate in the soft tissues or in the bones causing toxic effects. This is not something limited to tuna or swordfish and mercury. You obtain heavy metals basically by either ingesting them or inhaling them. You can ingest heavy metals from other foods you eat. For example, if your vegetables are grown in contaminated soil, they can take up metals by absorbing them from the soil. The same vegetables can also absorb metals from polluted environments as the plant is exposed to the air.

Methylmercury (MeHg) is very toxic, and impacts the human nervous system when ingested. This is a fact, whether or not you are experiencing whatever symptoms you perceive necessary to trigger concern.

Yes the protein is pretty high...based on the fact that this diet first began as X amount of calories divided into 40/40/20, and my schedule leaving plenty of times when there's not much I can do other than chug another shake (often with water when I am out). I can't really fit in more carbs from whole foods into my schedule.

This is yet another example of why you should NOT use ratios to determine macronutrient intake.