[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Considering activity level & calorie deficit I am worried this will not be enough protein to minimize LBM loss.
One problem with going strictly from protein requirements is that a good portion of the protein can get used as energy, depending on how many carbs and calories are eaten around them. Most studies have shown that nitrogen balance is more affected by caloric than protein intake. In effect, the more food you eat, the less protein you need.
Another thing is that the insulin levels on a caloric deficit, low-to-moderate carb diet are a bit on the low side. The amino acids in your bloodstream only stay around for 3-5 hours, and then must be either excreted, burned, and/or converted to glucose (if that hasn't already happened.) Without a strong insulin signal, the amino acids won't go into the muscle efficiently.
I guess that also strengthens the case against eatin too much protein. Protien boosts glucagon; glucagon prevents storage. However, I'm not sure if that's enough to counteract the increase # of amino acids available from eating more protein, so long as a proportionate amount of carbohydrates are eaten.
In theory, though, you could mantain/gain with as low as 0.5g / LBM. I, however, eat at about 1g/BW because I like the hormonal effect for attention span and sleep needs.
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]That is similar to Jay Robb's ideas. Are you familiar with them? If so what do you think? Better than Zoning?
I'm not familiar with Jay Robb's ideas, but I believe that your metabolic needs dictate your food intake. At the end of the day, things balance out calorically. But, things
don't balance out for the BBer because you're trying to do three things at once: shuttle carbs into muscle, prevent protein from being used as energy or excreted, and prevent calories (which can be used elsewhere) being stored in the gut.
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Having the bulk of carbs post-workout when the muscles are primed for glycogen synthesis makes sense. Sound right?
Absolutely. Even if Barry's pre/post-workout ideas are valid for controlling cortisol and GH levels, they do not address glycogen depletion from anaerobic exercise. Considering that you can burn 300-600 calories, almost all in sugar, with a full-body workout session, this must be dealth with immediately. In that 3-4 hour window, the likelihood that carbohydrates will cause excessive insulin levels is low because, effectively, you will remain in "caloric deficit" until your body can absorb the calories it burned during that session, plus the 3-4 hours following. Raising the insulin level, when the body
needs the nutrients, is ideal.
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]My experience with HST and Zone has been that I will go into keto within one low carb (<20%) meal after switching to a lower carb diet.
That's about right. You don't have that much glycogen in your muscle (after all, how can you if you're only eating 150g of carbs while training actively?!?.) Most can go into keto with a sub-50g carb intake. Throw in anaerobic exercise and frequent aerobic training, and you *could* go into keto with <100g.
In a worst case scenario, if you train 3 days a week, you'll only be eating "out" of Zone for a total of 9-12 hours for the entire week. Even then, you can "balance" the total protein and carb calories for that window.
All in all, though, you know the issue is ultimately calories. Timing is about managing the surplus, not replacing it. Sears' recommendations cannot give you that surplus.
cheers,
Jules