Diet question

[liljojo4711]

i am taking a nutrition class and we have talked about how to make our diets and plan them out. our book says that u should take in .8 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight, yet people here are saying anywhere from 1-2 grams per lb of bodyweight. y is this? also, as far as ratios go, the book says that 50-55% of calories should come from carbs, 25-30% from protein and 15-20% from fat. yet on here, a lot of people do a 40/40/20 split? please if anyone can explain, please do this.

 

[Jodi]

I hate those nutrition books and classes lol. They think their word is gospel where in fact if you look at the history of bodybuilding, you will see that bodybuilders have always been one up on the degree'd "professionals".

Now, I'm not saying they are wrong but it depends on the person. Some people can get away with .8G per lb of weight whereas others need more. Most people are going to get better results with 1-1.5 G per pound. It all depends on goals and genetics. Someone looking to just be lean and with a little definition can probably get away with .8G. However, most are looking beyond that and they want to be big - these are the ones that .8G won't work for.

 

[liljojo4711]

well i want to cut and then bulk again in order to get bigger and healthier. i have read ur pinned thread at the beginning of this forum about the 40/40/20 split and was wondering if this is a good place to start? it just seems that taking in 216g of protein (for me) is a lot in one day?!? plus, y does the book recommend so many carbs? do u jus not need very many carbs when weight lifting?

 

[Jodi]

You mean your book doesn't recommend many carbs either? Usually those nutrition books suggest lower protein and higher carbs. IMO, there should be close to an equal balance. Carbs are protein sparing.

The split you listed above is a great place to start. Do you understand how to break it down?

 

[liljojo4711]

no, the book recommends between 50-55% of calories from carbs. i got the rest of that stuff from ur pinned thread. i got it. thank you

can i use the same split when i start bulking?

 

[Jodi]

Yes you can use the same ratio. The trick would be to just increase your calories for bulking.