i'm so excited
I really am pretty darned excited, as nerdy as this might sound, to better understand nutrition and the different calculations of how things should work. Calories, grams of protein/carbohydrates/fats, water intake, timing. There's all a system to it, whether you're losing, maintaining, or gaining, a man or a woman, regardless of your current bodyfat or weight. The first step to another gradual diet modification is to figure out the eventual goal. That's what I've been doing. The next step after this is going to be micro-planning meals and days and dietary budgets. I'm learning this is going to take some discipline and motivation, and it's going to get monotonous. But you can't put a price on doing things the right way.Protein!Protein intake is the most important of any dietary change, obviously, with the goals of either maintaining or gaining body weight (specifically muscle). Of protein, there are different types, incomplete and complete. Fruits, vegetables, and grains are examples of incomplete proteins, whereas lean meats, dairy, egg (whites), and protein supplements are examples of complete proteins. What makes a protein complete is the cast of amino acids it contains, like letters in an alphabet comprising the sentences that form the poetry of your body. (Haha.) It's important that we get all of these amino acids in a complete protein in order for our bodies to rebuild our muscle and build new. Our body can produce some inessential proteins, about half of them--though the more we get through our diets, the less internal cannibalism our body needs to use. As for the other half, we have to get that through our diets, or else! And we have to get it all at the same juncture in order for internal protein production to not need to be triggered for muscle rebuilding, and timing-wise, that needs to happen during the point of rebuilding, or the "days off" period after a high-intensity, high-weight, low-rep workout of a muscle group. Considering that it takes 24-36 hours for that cycle to complete, usually, and my plan is to work bodyparts 3 times in 9 days, the protein intake has to be monitored every day.We can gauge what appropriate protein intake would be most effectively by measuring nitrogen, and the nitrogen balance of one's body. Nitrogen is released in waste (fecal matter!) as our body rebuilds itself. I didn't realize before my research that muscle, skeletal structure, and visceral organs are all like skin--skin is completely reproduced and removed within a 28-30 day period, muscles a 12-month period, your skeleton in three. There was a good quote, to the extent of your body being a building made of bricks, however, in this building, in a year's time, all bricks are taken out, one-by-one, and replaced. (It goes on to further the analogy that if your blueprint and materials don't change, your building will always look the same, and you just won't realize that the bricks are being replaced each year.) Fascinating, right? I couldn't believe it. Anyway, nitrogen balance is achieved when intake is equal to or greater than nitrogen output (which is measured in waste). Since protein is consumed, nitrogen included, and nitrogen is stored in the skeletal muscle systems, the amount of nitrogen waste contrasted with nitrogen intake can show us, scientifically, that increased protein intake DOES mean absorption and muscle growth. So it's not all fluff. Positive nitrogen balance is what we want if we're trying to build our muscles (hypertrophy). Negative nitrogen balance results in atrophy. This is the basis of measuring protein's effect and how scientific studies have concluded upon the range of acceptable protein intakes for weight loss, maintenance, or reduction; what is most interesting is that the FDA's RDA for protein is less than 0.4g per pound of bodyweight, yet studies and conventional bodybuilding wisdom tells us that ranges so low are catabolic in nature.Acceptable ranges for maintenance and growth are from .8g (with a .2g buffer, so 1g) to 1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight result in anabolic synthesis (for those who aren't familiar, the word "anabolism" has nothing to do with steroids, just the synthesis or combination of simple molecules into complex organism molecules). So in my case, a freshly-weighed 190lbs, I should be consuming about 200g of protein daily.But there's a way to even further break it down, based on common standards for caloric intake and dietary consumption. Calories, for those who (like yours truly) were unaware, aren't anything that literally exists or that can be avoided or harvested. They're merely a measure of energy expenditure during your body's processing of the three main types of sustainable substances: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. It's generally accepted that for weight gain (what we're going for here in a bulking cycle, muscle growth), 3000-3500 calories daily intake are required. Of that range, or of any range (it varies based on your gender and weight loss/maintenance/gain goals, among other smaller factors, and I can answer any specific questions as to caloric ranges), the breakdown should be 30% proteins, 55% carbohydrates, and 15% fats. This can vary based on goals (low-carbohydrate dieting, endurance athletes (more energy=more carb needs), or carbohydrate sensitivity (insulin-resistance). For my needs, I calculated a range of 3000-3500 calories, and the number of calories for each, and then the number of grams of protein to supply that amount of protein:




3000 calories
-
3500 calories

calories from protein (30%)
900
-
1050

calories from carbohydrates (55%)
1650
-
1925

calories from fats (15%)
450
-
525

grams of protein required (1g = 4 cals from protein)
225g
-
262g

grams of fat required (1g = 9 cals from protein)
50g
-
58g



So, basically, I need to consume no less than about 225g of protein, and 262g would be ideal. (For maintenance caloric intakes, I'd only need about 80-100 grams of protein a day. Less than that would mean weight loss, and therefore a negative nitrogen balance.) But the calculated amounts are pretty close to the 1-1.5g/lb bodyweight figures (200-300g for a ~200lb man), as you can see. They make for a good goal.That's a lot of protein. I'll be getting it through the following sources:Best: chicken breasts, turkey breasts, lean steak, eggs (whites only), protein shakesGood: low-fat dairy products, fish, shrimp/lobster/crabs/clamsPoor: non-lean meats such as most beef (too high saturated fat), incomplete protein pairings (e.g. rice and beans, which together in massive quantities are complete or nearly complete)Bad: incomplete proteinsAs far as shakes go, I need to find some good shakes that are a blend of three key types of proteins, a fast-digesting whey isolate, slower-acting casein, and system-enhancing soy. I have yet to do conclusive searching of shake contents, in addition to taste requirements, and so my next goal is to find good shakes and purchase them. Shakes are key because they will make up 40-50% of the protein caloric intake. The rest will be real food including the meat, egg, and dairy products listed above. This requires a complete diet plan, and in my case (and I'm sure many readers' cases) a complete dietary reworking. (Not to mention the additional water consumption that protein synthesis requires, what I've estimated to be about 128 ounces daily.) All of that planning, including meal plans and recipes, are a forthcoming entry. Let me know your thoughts, generally, as well as specific suggestions for shakes. I appreciate it. Thanks for reading this far!