Nutrition Advice

[mcglone05]

Ok, here's a little background on me.
6'1
260 lbs.
24% bodyfat
Training for 6 years
Just started a Westside/Strongman Hybrid

I've been trying to eat 12xLBM in Calories, with about 1.25 grams of protein per pound of LBM, 1 gram of carbs per pound of LBM, and the rest from healthy fats. The problem is I constantly feel hungry.
Some Options I'm thinking about are: T-Dawg 2.0, Carb Cycling, Cheater's Diet, Anabolic Diet (Metabolic Diet), or just saying screw it and slowly keep bulking up while keeping bodyfat around 20%. I'd just like to hear some suggestions for you guys, especially guys that have struggled that are on the bigger side (not that I'm some sort of giant). Thanks for your time and help, I appreciate it.
-Greg

[Connie Brown]

Well I am not a guy but if I were, here's what I'd also like to know:

- what results are you seeing besides hungry - gaining, losing, both?

- what's your energy like; high, low, wildly variable?

- what's your activity load

- what KIND of protein and carbs (slow/fiber? fast/refined? organic? grassfed?)

- sleep

- meal timings; 3 meals plus snacks? 6 meals? one giant one?

[Scott Sonnon]

You need to address Connie's questions, because it will specifically determine your performance IN your training, and the benefits you receive FROM your training, facilitating growth and recovery.

[mcglone05]

Hey Connie and Scott,
Hope this helps.

- what results are you seeing besides hungry - gaining, losing, both?
I need to do another calliper check soon, but I know I've lost some bodyfat so far, and my strength has continued to steadily increase.

- what's your energy like; high, low, wildly variable?
Energy has been good, since my carbs are not that low.
- what's your activity load
Lifting Westside, 4 Days per week with Strongman Finishers thrown in (farmers walks, yoke walks, stone lifts)

- what KIND of protein and carbs (slow/fiber? fast/refined? organic? grassfed?)

With the exception of my PWO shake and a some fruit, all my carbs come from whole grains and vegetables. I'm getting about 30-35 grams of fiber per day. I'm eating lean meats, and taking in adequate fats from saturated, mono, and poly.
- sleep
8 hours per night; no less than 7

- meal timings; 3 meals plus snacks? 6 meals? one giant one?
6-7 meals

Thanks for your help guys

[Connie Brown]

LOL my congrats, looks like a pretty highly skilled food program there.
In other words all the easy answers do not apply.

Well, so basically you are getting good results from a solid food program except for being hungry. I hope you are happy with the steady incremental fat loss and mass gain cuz that is what the big dogs do here (right Scott and Doug?)

So really the challenge is to knock off the hunger while not breaking what is working. (I assume it is just plain running-on-empty hunger and not the head craving from recent detox from whites/sugars/alcohol)

If I were in your shoes I would try one of these at a time, in whatever order maybe speaks to you:

- add more veggies for more fullness and the slowest carb fuel

- add volume of protein & slow carbs just a little at a time, perhaps one meal at a time, both so you can watch what the response is and to stay under the radar of getting freaked about not progressing like you want.

- go to 3 larger meals and smaller snacks hoping for better satiety with that mix

With as much as you have going for you I would not mess around with a
total diet overhaul like going to some diet guy's book, but instead tweak in smaller increments. no magic formula anyway, alas.

Just my opinion of course. I like to recompose slow & steady myself.
-

[Scott Sonnon]

Greg,

Listen, amigo. What are your goals? You CAN use fat as leverage for strength, but do you hold your health prior to your strength performance?

If you're going to lean down and increase your lean muscle mass, then definitely go with Connie's suggestions. You need to consolidate to three larger meals, pump up the protein for building material ESPECIALLY at breakfast (within an hour of waking) and shift over from any white/simple carbs to green/complex carbs for longer lasting fuel.

[Chuck Sproule]

I might add one thing to the great suggestions of Scott and Connie, and that is about your hunger. If you are satisfied with your current fat loss and strength gains, with the only dilemma being hunger...why is this a problem? I know at first it makes you want to go find food, but hunger is a primal instinct that drives us! You can use this hunger to your advantage--especially in your lifting. Do you notice that when you're hungry that you could lift a truck? It's amazing that sometimes we are overwhelmed with the feeling of hunger and it can blind us from the rest of the feelings going on at that time.

I would recommend that you have some water or even tea when you feel hungry between your meals or snacks and realize that your body is working for you, not against you in this case.

Respectfully,

Coach Chuck Sproule

[radiantkd]

Greg,

You might want to get pretty much all sat fat out of yoru diet and ADD some omega 3 fatty acids....fish or flax oil. Might have a huge impact on the hunger quotient...and..will enhance insulin effectiveness which means you will burn more.

In addition, try having 3 cans of low sodium V-8 juice with your meals and report what hqappens.

Kathleen

[rbibbs]

An aside Greg, to the foregoing authoritative advice. I'm not a nutritionalist, I just pick up and correlate physiological trivia...

There are two 'hungers'. One is the enzyme/receptor "my stomach lining is not covered with food" message, and the other is "my blood sugar is low and i better go kill something and eat it" message. Your energy is high, lessens the likelihood it's the latter. You can learn to ignore the former, appease it with water, a few grapes, whatever works for you. If your system is genuinely craving, you'll get a vague feeling that you're neurologically hyperactive though physically sluggish. That's a signpost of catabolism. Short of that, you may be metabolizing ideally and just sensitive to the "empty stomach enzyme".