Started by ScottyDugans, September 20, 2012 · 9 Replies · 3,500 Views
I was wondering that if I am trying to burn body fat during a workout, will a protein shake(20g whey powder and water) and eating grapes between sets still allow me to burn fat?...or will it JUST burn the carbs from grapes? Orrr what is the best way?
(I eat Paleo and I am 5'7 155lbs. My goal is adding muscle and strength and to get as shredded as possible ha. I am pretty cut already naturally but I want to be more lean with effort and diet)
Grapes between sets will not contribute to burning fat.
Prime fat loss nutrition will center around high-protein emphasis (as Paleo provides, and according to the thermic effect of food theory), low levels of processed, refined, or unnecessary carbohydrate (again, as in Paleo provisions), and high levels of naturally occurring fiber (present in vegetables and legumes).
You will be best served by emphasizing easily & rapidly digesting carbohydrate+protein blends prior to and immediately after workouts (to maximize "return to anabolism" or muscle growth at the intracellular level) and by emphasizing rich, quality proteins and natural fats at other times.
To reduce this to its essentials: have glucose or the simplest sugars available (as in fruits or sports carbohydrate mixes) with "quick" proteins (as found in whey protein isolates and nuts/seeds) very near your workouts; have more complex sugars (vegetables are best, oats & quinoa & whole rices next best) and "slow" proteins (animal sources, beans/legumes, casein or soy powders) throughout the rest of the day.
And if you want to maximize fat loss, be sure you eat enough to sustain muscle recovery without eating excess. Monitor body fat percentages with a consistent method and evaluate your eating each 2 weeks.
Toward strength,
Dunte
Thanks for the response. Ok I get very confused with most of this stuff because there is a lot to follow. Should I cut out even good fats for dropping body fat and gaining muscle? This is an idea of what my day looks like...
Breakfast: 30 g pro/20g carb
Lunch: 30g pro/10g carb
Pre: 30g whey/kre-alkalyn/20g carbs
During: water mixed with a little sea salt and BCAA powder(no longer grapes)
Post: 30g whey/kre-alkalyn/60g carbs
Dinner: 30g pro/30 carb
MultiV: 3x per day
(everything around the workout is whey and fruit)
No, do not drop healthy fats. In fact, the complete absence of fat (and potential over-consumption of protein relative to fat intake) is probably inhibiting your fat loss goals. The body needs fat, and meat is nearly 50% fat so include it in your meal breakdown calculations.
In essence, the fat should be present at every meal but immediately adjacent to your workout, as it is a slowly utilized, primary energy source. Stick to avocados, olives, nuts, seeds, and fish to avoid processed fats, but to the extent that your "strictness" of adherence to Paleo tenets allows, cheeses, plain yogurts, and milk varieties are decent sources in small amounts.
Focus on eating with balance, training for maximal strength or myofibrillar hypertrophy (strong, big muscles, as opposed to "pumped" big muscles) and don't obsess about macro- or micronutrients.
Also, take care that intense cardiovascular intervals are present in your training, either as gymnastic routines, rope or sprint intervals, or relevant conditioning to your sport of choice. This is for heart health & dynamic application of fast-twitch muscle fiber.
Toward strength,
Dunte
Additional note: it is not research supported that more than 10-20g protein are useful for affecting protein balance in pre- or post-workout supplenentation. You could save some money with no adverse effects on recovery by using half the serving of protein powder.
Just a suggestion!
Toward strength,
Dunte
Ok sounds good. I few things...How is my "During" workout drink? Should I add whey into it or have I already had enough whey from my pre workout? And what types of cardio is specific to gymnastics? I already do 3 sets of 10 reps jumping squats, squat distance, and squat height and distance twice a week and 1 set of 10 hill sprints (about 50 yards per sprint) once a week.
Dunte said:Additional note: it is not research supported that more than 10-20g protein are useful for affecting protein balance in pre- or post-workout supplenentation. You could save some money with no adverse effects on recovery by using half the serving of protein powder.Just a suggestion!
Toward strength,
Dunte
Just saw this. Thanks
Dunte said:(...) meat is nearly 50% fat (...)
Wow! What animals are you hunting? Seals... :roll: 
Sorry, inappropriate use of misleading numbers. 
There is, however, significant fatty tissue in all but the leanest cuts of many meats, worth significant energy. The contribution to fat in one's diet is enough to not be dismissed. As an ounce of flesh is typically 7-8g protein (worth 4 calories/gram) and typically 5-7g fat for average cuts (worth 9 calories/gram), I could have expressed that point far better.
ScottyDugans said:I was wondering that if I am trying to burn body fat during a workout, will a protein shake(20g whey powder and water) and eating grapes between sets still allow me to burn fat?...or will it JUST burn the carbs from grapes? Orrr what is the best way?(I eat Paleo and I am 5'7 155lbs. My goal is adding muscle and strength and to get as shredded as possible ha. I am pretty cut already naturally but I want to be more lean with effort and diet)
I agree with Dunte's well articulated comments above to a large degree. Fat burning and carbs are not exclusive even in a paleo context.
First quick review ... % fat burning during the workout will be based largely on the workout intensity. High intensity aerobic and anaerobic workouts will burn a greater proportion carbs; lower intensity workouts a greater proportion fat. Does this matter? Probably not as more carbs burned during workout means less fat deposited when carbs are eaten later. High intensity workouts, particuarly anaerobic (strength/HIIT) are beleived to burn a greater percentage of the workout calories as the afterburn effect - and a greater proportion of that as fat. The bottom line is you will always end up burning carbs and fat regardless of the workout.
However, there is a catch-22 - you do need enough carbs in order to perform well at high intensity! Carbs in storage in your liver and muscles (glycogen) and in the blood as glucose. So popping an occassional grape or sipping on glucose 5% may get you ahead in the long run. Personally I go by how I am feeling in this respect. The other benefit is that carbs spare tissue protein from breakdown during exercise.
As an aside, all this doesn't mean that you will get fat performing low intensity workouts either! Somehow that message has been absorbed by the population. In fact it's good to toss in some low intensity work, 30 minute light cardio 3x week. In the long run this can help your recovery and ability to perform. If you are primarily focused on upper body strength, lower body cardio will not negate that, and probably enhance it. It's recommended by coach Sommer here and is in use by gymnastic Olympic teams as well. This also benefits fat loss: a recent study showed that in one context 30 minutes was as effective as 60 for fat loss (because people didn't eat back as much to compenstate).
Regarding post-workout, this may be a quibble however while fast protein gets a bigger spike in muscle protein synthesis, it does nothing to prevent protein breakdown. Both carbs and slow protein do increase protein balance after workout by reducing the breakdown rate. So having a mixture of all 3 is considered to be the best approach after a workout. Although, there is evidence that sipping a fast protein for several hours will also have the same inhibitory effect on breakdown as well. But most people will find it more convienant to have a mixture of proteins and also include carbs to replenish glycogen. This is why chocolate milk is among the best recovery drinks out there. Personally I add some additional whey to brink the protein level up a bit for MPS.
Agree with dunte about fat intake. Also you shouldn't go below 10% of your caloric intake, 10-30% is workable usually. A few grams of essential omega fatty acids in fish or fish oil is good to include it appears. Flax and similar sources work though larger intakes are required because only 5%-10% of ALA is brokendown into omega fatty acids. The n3 and n6 omega are better in paleo though quantity still needs to be there, although it is somewhat speculative as the first studies designed to test this in healthy people are now in progress. What is known currently is that n3 will lower trigliceride level and reduce repeat cardiac events in heart patients.
Balancing health, conditioning, nutrition, strength/skills training, social life, and appearance (to name a few) and can be tricky at times. Actually that order reflect those priorities at this time . I will certainly evaluate them, indvidually and their interrelationships, from time to time to see if they are giving me satisfactory results and make adjustments as neccessary.