pre contest macros

[apinian]

i am currently cutting down for a contest and was curious how others might approach their macros before a show. This year so far i use and fluctuate between

protein 210-230 grams
carbs 80-170 grams depending on the workload of the day
overall calories 1600- 2200 daily
currently175lbs .
currently 3 weeks away from the first show and 7 weeks away from the second

this has worked so far for me, but the low carb days feel like hell. i am wondering if upping the carbs a bit will slow down my progress? just looking to get some ideas/ thoughts

[red_cat]

If it's working then I'd say there's no reason to change it. Calories seem pretty low to me, especially if you're doing any kind of cardio, but I'm not your coach and I don't know where you started.

You didn't mention fats at all. Where are they at?

[apinian]

If it's working then I'd say there's no reason to change it. Calories seem pretty low to me, especially if you're doing any kind of cardio, but I'm not your coach and I don't know where you started.

You didn't mention fats at all. Where are they at?

yea its working but i feel like **** on low carb days, calories are low, but i feel like if i keep it at baseline i probably wont be cutting. As far as fats, i dont really count it, the only fats i have is from oats and occasional protein bars. i hear some guys go as low as 30 grams of carbs 2-3 times a week, i dont see how they function this way.

[simpleguy4]

Part of the reason you feel so bad is that your carbs are in that "no man's land" area of too many to be fat adapted and not enough to keep blood glucose stable. You system is searching for fuel and not finding either ketones or glucose.....the low calories are not helping either. I am your size and rarely dip below 2200-2400 on the lowest days. I would either raise the carbs and keep fats low, or drop the carbs completely and drastically increase fats.

[keramon02]

yea its working but i feel like **** on low carb days, calories are low, but i feel like if i keep it at baseline i probably wont be cutting. As far as fats, i dont really count it, the only fats i have is from oats and occasional protein bars. i hear some guys go as low as 30 grams of carbs 2-3 times a week, i dont see how they function this way.

You've got it way backwards.

Get a baseline of protein (.8 to 1.2g per lb) and fat (.4 per pound or more, though for brief periods you can go as low as .3 g per pound) then fill the rest with carbs or some other mix of macros.

Don't do an extremely low fat diet unless on gear, refeeding, or it's only for a short period of time...or you just really really know what you're doing.

[red_cat]

yea its working but i feel like **** on low carb days, calories are low, but i feel like if i keep it at baseline i probably wont be cutting. As far as fats, i dont really count it, the only fats i have is from oats and occasional protein bars. i hear some guys go as low as 30 grams of carbs 2-3 times a week, i dont see how they function this way.

Yikes.

I'd set protein at 210 grams. Your fats are dangerously low and that's probably half of the reason your feel like crap (your body relies on fats to maintain basic hormonal functions). Ideally you would set fats around .45-.5 grams/lb of bodyweight, but that would be an astronomical increase in fats compared to what you've been doing.