Bodybuilding diet review: 40/40/20 split, too much protein?

Kenny_D

Hi guys,

I noticed today that my protein intake for the day is about 250-270g. Is this too much or should I be aiming for less protein and more carbs? Been reading that too much protein can put extra stress on the kidneys/liver/heart. I have a high resting heart rate of about 80-90 bpm and I'm generally an easily stressed/anxious person so I worry sometimes about this stuff! Here is my food from today, only thing missing from that is some potatoes/broccoli with my dinner later this evening after the gym:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/kennyd6

This would be my normal diet for a gym day. On off days I might eat a little less carbs.

Running through various calculators online gave me a daily calorie intake of 2500-2900 calories so I've been aiming for 2700 calories most days. If I can get more calories in I try do. I always seem to be hungry lately

Goal is to build lean muscle.

Stats:

Height: 5ft 10"
Weight 67kg or 148lbs
Office job (sedentary outside of gym)

Gym 3 days a week (Mon/Wed/Fri), mostly focusing on full body routine with compound lifts and a short 15 min cardio warmup.

So just wondering if this current diet is a good base for my goals of building lean muscle. Any suggestions for areas I can change? I have no problems sticking with any kind of diet and don't really drink or eat anything too unhealthy. I just want to make sure I'm getting the most out of my time in the gym and want to put on as much lean mass in the next 2 months as possible.

Total lean body mass gain last month was 3lbs. Weight stayed stationary at 67kg but bodyfat percentage dropped from 12.1% to 10.9%. I'd like to get back down to about 8% but thats a secondary goal to bulking first.

Here's my thread from the health/fitness forum:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056319809

My routine has changed now so I'll put the new one up when I get a chance.

Thanks

boomtown84

Imo you don't need that much protein at your weight.
If you need 2700cals to bulk you should aim for something along the lines of: 25% total cals in fat(675 cals-75grams), 150 grams protein(600cals) and then the rest in carbs.(1,425cals-355grams).
try it and see how you get on.

Kenny_D

Thanks. Any suggestions for healthy carb snacks to replace stuff like protein bars/shakes? My initial goal was 1g per pound which put me at the 150g mark you suggested. I didn't even realise I was taking in so much protein until I checked the macronutrient breakdown today, my main focus was meeting my calorie levels for the day.

boomtown84

The healthiest carb snack out there is fruit.just make sure your big meals fill you up so you don't need to snack much.lots of potatoes.

Red_Wake

Unless you have an underlying kidney problem, it's not really possible to get too much protein. If it were, paleo diets would be fatal.

If you're looking to bulk up, try to get as much of your cals from foods which consist primarily of high quality protein and fats (animal meat, fish, poultry, etc).

Carbs should be minimised on non-training days as a general rule, though you can relax on this seeing as you're looking to bulk up. However, don't have carbs as the major macronutrient in your diet.

Eat rakes of vegetables, especially fibrous veg. Not because they'll bulk you up, seeing as contain **** all cals, but because the vitamins and fibre they contain will help your body utilise the other macronutrients.

El_Dangeroso

That's too much protein IMO. Your probably converting a lot of it to glucose and since protein is more expensive than carbs, you're wasting money too.

Potato, rice, tapioca or fruit are a better use of cals in this instance. Potatoes are my 'go-to' carb, I think people of Irish decent are very adapted to potato consumption. Plus they're cheap even if organic. Mix it up with other root veggies like turnip, celariac, carrots and parsnips too.