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Replacing Protein with Carbs

Andy81653

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Is it possible to have good muscle growth from only getting the daily recommended amount of protein but increasing carbs to 150g-160g? I exercise everyday for 30 minutes to an hour and I do HIIT cardio, 2 times a week. I know it is said that 1g of protein per lb of weight is the key but, could I do that with carbs instead and still get results?
 
The usual "bodybuilder" suggestion is for a gram of protein per pound lean mass, at a minimum. In practice, many of us go higher but there is in fact no physiologic requirement for protein to be this high for most athletes - although there are some noteworthy exceptions, such as extreme levels of activity, and dieting for fat-loss.

Most of us do it out of habit, comfort, and mistaken belief we'll suddenly go catabolic unless we consume a half a cow daily but the flip side - eating too little protein - means muscle-loss and most of us don't want that. While eating at a surplus, this is generally of little concern to those of us in physical culture but while cutting, nitrogen status is an important consideration. Protein is also very satiating, so for appetite control, many of us load up on protein to avoid either excess hunger or excess adiposity.


Guidelines for protein consumption vary.
Health Canada’shttp://www.ironmagazineforums.com/#_edn1 Dietary Reference Intakes for adults lists 0.66g per kg bodyweight as the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and 0.8g per kg bodyweight as the Adequate Intake (AI) for protein. Recommendations for athletes are higher, with some going as high as 2g/kg[ii] bodyweight (not lean mass), which for a lean male works out to about 0.9g protein per pound lean mass.

Clearly, we in physical culture have a large buffer zone around our protein intake. If your protein intake is low, you're probably better off eating it in small servings well spread out through the day, to keep amino acid levels constant - albeit on the low side - through the day. Those of us with higher protein intakes have more dietary flexibility with regard to nutrient timing, and there may even be advantages - at least while running a surplus - to pulsing protein intake rather than keeping it steady.

Does this help?

http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/#_ednref1 Reference Values for Macronutrients - Dietary Reference Intakes Tables [Health Canada, 2005]
[ii] Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition | Full text | International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Protein and Exercise.




 
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For completeness, I'll include this information regarding maximum protein consumption.
According to Bilsborough and Mann, the upper limit of what is considered safe is stated at 365 grams of protein for a person weighing 80kg - roughly 175 lbs. This works out to about 2.1 grams of protein per pound bodyweight.

Nobody is zero percent bodyfat: healthy-lean for a man is about 10% bodyfat, and for a woman is about 20% bodyfat. The greatest amount of lean mass a person weighing 175 lbs can reasonably be expected to carry is 80%-90% of 175 lbs, which works out to 140-160 lbs.

365 grams of protein daily - the top of the stated "safe" range for daily protein consumption for a person weighing 175 lbs, and therefore carrying at most 160 lbs of lean mass - works out to 2.3g of protein per pound lean mass.



A Review of Issues of Dietary Protein Intake in Humans
Shane Bilsborough and Neil Mann
International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2006, 16, 129-152 © 2006 Human Kinetics, Inc.
 
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