Low Cal vs. Catabolism
I’m making awesome progress on my journey back to strength. I have a question though that I can’t answer to my satisfaction. If I keep cutting calories I’ll enter catabolism but what is the right balance to sustain muscle synthesis????
November 26, 2007 at 4:06 am
What I have read is that you do not want to reduce your caloric intake too much. So you have to calculate your bodys resting caloric expenditure (RCE). RCE= body weight x 11. That gives you the number of calories you burn at rest. Then calculate your daily caloric expenditure (DA). (This is based on the type of job you have) So DA=RCE x a % . The percentages are as follows:15% for sedentary jobs (ie desk jobs), 35% for lightly active jobs (on feet all day or walking), moderately active 45% (mechanic, machinist), very active 75% (laborer, dancer, landscaper). Add your RCE and your DA and you will have an idea of total calories burned without doing any thing except living. Then if weight loss is the goal subtract 100-200 calories from the number that you calculated. The weight loss will be slower probably but you should not enter catabolism either. Other notes: protein consumption should be increased while doing this. SO protein should be 26% of the total calories, fat 33% and carbs about 41%. I have adjusted that slightly and I am consuming 1.25g protein/ lb or about 34% protein, 33% fat and 33% carbs or thereabouts. But the long and the short of it is I have not found the exact answer to your question. Obviously you will know when catabolism hits your muscles because you should be weaker and not notice gains in muscle size.
November 26, 2007 at 2:23 pm
I really hate Windows (Vista or whatever!). It just dumped my entry. I’ll try to do it again WITHOUT using my laptop for stess relief.
Per BnickelDrideau:
"Obviously you will know when catabolism hits your muscles because you should be weaker and not notice gains in muscle size."
I think this is the key for me. I’m experiencing unusually fast fat loss due to my volume and body type. I expect I’ll slow down the closer I get to my goal but…
I’m seeing real strength and lean mass gains. I’ve doubled my leg press weight in the last 8 weeks to 3×20x500. In terms of growth, my body likes what’s going on in the kitchen. Muscle Milk is my best friend right now- great balance.
In terms of calories, I’m taking in a little less than 2000 very solid calories per day, heavy on a wide variety of rabbit food, eggs, and protein supplements. I have no desire to cheat while I’m making these kinds of gains. I might even take my shirt off soon which I’ve not liked doing even when I was in great shape. Who knows….
January 18, 2008 at 3:29 pm
I’ve pased two months since bringing this question up. I’m far stronger and leaner despite not taking in more than 2K calories/day while burning around 5K per day. I’ve dropped enough fat pounds to match. I was worried about loosing mass and averted it by cutting out almost all simple carbs, intenst multi-vitamin, 180+ grams of protein per day, pyruvate, and very hard training. I do not let myself feel hungry or deprived, ever, but that’s it. I’m weeks away from my goals and doing very well.