A little confused about calories and macronutrient breakdown

[Martin Brown]

Hi all,

I have been doing a lot of reading recently about nutrition. In January I had switched to A Paleo template (I tolerate dairy well so still include whey and cheese sometimes) but unfortunately I have been losing weight! I have started adding a lot more fat into my diet to get the extra calories. I currently weigh 72 Kg down from 77Kg.

My Breakfasts consist of 4 whole eggs, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes - All fried in a load of butter.

Snack: Shake: 2 scoops of whey, handful of spinach, 1 Banana, coconut milk.

Lunch: Chicken breast (1 or 2), Cut up raw veg, 1 tablespoon of coconut oil

Snack shake: 2 scoops of whey, handful of spinach, 1 Banana, coconut milk.

Pre Training: Creatine, BCAAs, Dextrose, Whey and water

During Training : Dextrose, Whey and water

Post Training: BCAAs, Dextrose, Whey and water

Dinner: Meat of some sort, vegetables and Sweet potatoes.

On Non training days I will be cutting out the sweet potatoes and of course wont be using dextrose and extra whey. Also on training days if I need more I will have a small bowl of Steel cut oats with coconut milk in addition to my breakfast.

I am hoping this will help me put weight back on with my training. Weight isnt my focus BUT losing weight like this has been detrimental.

I have a few questions if I may:

Firstly does the above look ok? My calories will mainly be from saturated fat followed by fruit and veg and then protein (Enough to cover my needs).

Is it ok to add saturated Fats to make up the extra calories required? I have been reading a lot from http://www.chriskresser.com/heartdisease about the benefits of saturated fat hence why I am now using a lot of butter and coconut milk and oil.

Where does the Paleo style of eating stand on Acidosis and PRAL? A lot of paleo diets seems to contain protein as a major source of calories. Shouldnt the calories be coming from fat mainly and the veg and fruit?

I ask this as Precision Nutrition makes a big thing about vegetables for not only nutritional value but for alkalising effects. Chris Kresser from studying a lot of research seems to advocate more of a focus on protein and fats for calories with veg and fruit being just on the side.

Thanks All!

[Blairbob]

Acidic/Alkalizing diets are BS. The body takes care of it's pH fine on it's own. That being said, such diets generally espouse eating lots of vegetables and good stuff.

You could do a caloric estimate and I doubt it's a lot of calories. That tends to be the case with the Paleo diet. Not a lot of calories.

[Larry Roseman]

I'd agree with Blairbob.

I'd ballpark your daily intake around 2300-2500 cals. It's just a ballpark without knowing more exact portions.

If you're pretty active and burning 300-400 cals during your workout - another guess - you could be under your maintenence requirement.

A signficant portion of your weight loss could also be due from the water loss that comes from cutting down on carbs too.

Drink enough water too during the day ... get clear pee if possible.

For strength and muscle building protein intake will be more important than fat intake.

For health both are important.

[Scott Fischer]

Just a few comments on your question about saturated fats...

Saturated fats haven't been completely cleared from being possible culprits in heart disease. Just because recent research has suggested they may not be as bad as previously thought, and that they may have some beneficial roles, that doesn't mean that 'more is better'. Importantly, much of the research Chris talks about is observational and cannot prove cause and effect. In contrast, a recent Cochrane review (considered to be the highest level of evidence in medicine) found that there is benefit in reducing the proportion of saturated fat in exchange for unsaturated fats.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 2/abstract

A recent symposium on saturated fats published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition noted that the optimal intake of saturated fat is not currently known.

The points to take away from this is that

- (again), just because something has some benefits, doesn't mean that consuming more is always better.

- one of the most important principals of nutrition is to have a diet consisting of a wide variety of foods, not to over emphasise a particular food/nutrient

- focusing on foods, not nutrients, is far more useful when looking at determinants of health

hope that helps!

[Joshua Naterman]

Just a few comments on your question about saturated fats...

Saturated fats haven't been completely cleared from being possible culprits in heart disease. Just because recent research has suggested they may not be as bad as previously thought, and that they may have some beneficial roles, that doesn't mean that 'more is better'. Importantly, much of the research Chris talks about is observational and cannot prove cause and effect. In contrast, a recent Cochrane review (considered to be the highest level of evidence in medicine) found that there is benefit in reducing the proportion of saturated fat in exchange for unsaturated fats.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 2/abstract

A recent symposium on saturated fats published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition noted that the optimal intake of saturated fat is not currently known.

The points to take away from this is that

- (again), just because something has some benefits, doesn't mean that consuming more is always better.

- one of the most important principals of nutrition is to have a diet consisting of a wide variety of foods, not to over emphasise a particular food/nutrient

- focusing on foods, not nutrients, is far more useful when looking at determinants of health

hope that helps!

Very, very good points! It should also be pointed out, for all the paleo types, that there is far less fat in the vast majority of game animals than you could ever get from a cow. Even cuts from grass-fed cows are nearly all under 8% which is part of why they are more difficult to cook deliciously. So those who think there was a huge amount of saturated fats in a paleo diet are very much mistaken. The majority of beef fat is oleic acid anyhow, with the next largest component being stearic acid. At any rate, fatjiri is right... we need to focus on eating the right foods. If we do that, the rest of our diet is basically taken care of and there is no need to focus on any particular nutrient.

As for Blair's point about so-called alkaline diets, this is mostly true but not completely true. The buffer system substrates contained within so-called alkaline diets are the key, and yes you CAN hurt yourself with too much of these as well as too little. Of course, it's virtually impossible to overload on any of them with a natural diet unless you are literally only eating one or two plants for all of your calories, which your body would quickly rebel against with cravings for other foods.

If you do not have sufficient calcium intake to supply buffer substrate, for example, your body WILL take it from bones and teeth. So in this respect alone there is merit to the acid/alkaline debate. However, this is taken care of by having plenty of vegetables of all colors, particularly green and cruciferous ones. All colors are needed, however, and it is good to have as many different veggies as you can get your hands on every week or two. This not only alleviates boredom but also helps ensure that you are getting all the vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that our bodies need to work optimally.

As for the whole alkaline water thing, don't be ridiculous. For one thing, it is patently UNSAFE to consume substances in solutions that have a pH of more than 8. That can and will cause tissue damage, and is part of why hydrogen peroxide exposure instantly kills all living tissues. Don't be stupid and hurt yourself. It's really no different than taking antacids, which cause a huge number of problems both acute and chronic.

There is probably some merit to the idea that smaller clusters of water molecules absorb better because of the size of aquaporins, but I do not know anything about how that works in practice and I don't believe there is very much research in this area at all.

[Martin Brown]

Edit

[Blairbob]

I don't want to speak for Sliz, but last I remember he eats a fair amount of buckwheat for protein and carbs and lots of liquidated whey during the day.

[Joshua Naterman]

I don't want to speak for Sliz, but last I remember he eats a fair amount of buckwheat for protein and carbs and lots of liquidated whey during the day.

Hey hey hey, don't make it sound like I'm getting the bargain bin protein!

I do have lots of small doses of whey, around 7-10g per dose. Buckwheat is the majority of my carbs, with 2-3 lbs of veggies as well. Gotta have veggies, they are my vitamins and minerals. I have meat sometimes, but not regularly. Too expensive and hard to keep fresh when I'm out all day.

[Martin Brown]

Thanks for that Slizz,

That clears that up!

Cheers guys for your responses!

Emby