Questions regarding Nutrition

**NotMelborn** · 05-19-2013, 03:03 AM

Hello guys,

i'm 21 years old, 198 cm (6'6") tall and weigh 91kg (200lbs). I started training 1 year ago when i was 78kg (172lbs), so i've already had some success in building up musclemass, bodyfat has remained unchanged at 15-16%.
When i started researching bodybuilding various articles i read outlined the importance of dieting and i started eating accordingly, a lot spread over several meals a day (min 5.). However, i didn't really understand nutrition more thoroughly than that protein is used to build muscle and carbs and fats are used for energy.
Because there is still a lot of room left for improvement in my diet and because i like to understand what i'm doing as good as possible, i've started researching nutrition a lot more.
I've watched Milos Sarcev's videos and found them to be very helpful, but there are still several questions unanswered and more will probably pop up in my mind in the days to come, any help from you guys would be very much appreciated !

First off something that Milos doesn't really go into - Calories. To gain muscle mass, do i always need to take in more calories than i use per day ?
For example, let's say i would be eating 300 grams of protein, 300 grams of carb and 60 grams of fat a day, which would sum up to 2940 calories. However, i would be burning 3500 calories each and every day (i know this is a lot, just using these stats for my question), would it mean i would never build any muscle tissue even with proper weigh training and a high protein intake? If so, how much calories would i need to eat to have the 300 g protein be used to their max. possible efficiency?

What is the use of fibrous carbs?
I understand that often times the body will use more calories trying to digest them than it will get back from them, but what is the use of that in a bulking diet?

When does the body start going into catabolic mode?
In one of the videos Milos mentions that protein is used for a lot of metabolic processes other than the building of muscle tissue, will the body start breaking down muscle if he needs protein for any of these processes and there is none in the blood because we didn't eat any? If this be the case and i didn't have the chance to eat any protein in 6 hours for whatever reason and the only available food would be carbs only, does it make any sense to eat the carbs? It wouldn't stop the catabolism though, would it?

How do we burn fat through dieting ?
I have read several interviews with bodybuilders in which they stated that they aren't doing any cardio but only shred fat through dieting. If one pound of muscle requires 69 calories a day to be maintained and 1 pound of fat only requires 9 calories, how are we ever going to lose fat through dieting? Are muscle and fat broke down in equal percentages when the body is in a calorie deficit?

Also, how do we really burn fat through cardio?
When there are no nutrients available in the bloodstream, will the body always target the stored bodyfat for energy? If this be the case, wouldn't it mean we could shred (basically) all fat through cardio? And since we need protein for things other than muscle-building, is there a way of losing fat through exercise without breaking down muscle-tissue? Because eating protein prior to cardio would mean the body uses the protein in the blood as energy source and only starts targeting the bodyfat once the dietary protein is depleted, right?

How long is Insulin active in the blood?
If we eat simple carbs such as sugars post-workout it will cause the bloodsugar to spike and insulin to be released, which will result in all nutrients currently being in the bloodstream being transported into cells, is that correct? How long is Insulin active within the blood, since whey needs some time to be broken down and absorbed into the blood, will the insulin already be gone if we mix whey with for example maltodextrin? If so, would it be best to take the Whey immediately after workout and simple carbs let's say 30 min after to assure that the whey is transported by the Insulin as well? Since the blood will be empty of nutrients after the Insulin has "gone through" does that mean the body will start breaking down muscle-tissue to get the protein it needs for it's various processes?

These are my questions for now, i will surely come up with more over the time. Again, thanks for any help you guys might give me, it is highly appreciated

Cheers

**NotMelborn** · 05-20-2013, 12:00 PM

If anyone could answer any of my questions that really would help greatly, no need to answer everything

**alex.mitev** · 05-20-2013, 12:12 PM

Your body uses mix fuel sources - glucose, fat in some instances amino acids.
While dieting your body burns more mixed fuel than u feed it, then i taps into the reserves.
Cardio burns fat thru caloric deficit. And to a degree fascilitates calorie partitioning in a more favorable way, HIIT in particular.
Im on my phone so thats that for now

**NotMelborn** · 05-21-2013, 02:15 AM

thanks mate

**Turkish Juicer** · 05-21-2013, 04:38 AM

Originally Posted by NotMelborn

First off something that Milos doesn't really go into - Calories. To gain muscle mass, do i always need to take in more calories than i use per day ?

Yes and no. Although caloric surplus is the key to gain muscle mass, my experience as well as the experience of many others' show that carbohydrate management (aka ''carb cycling'') allows to make lean gains, which is nonetheless a slow yet steady process.

What is the use of fibrous carbs?

Not only they are ''healthier'' compared to starchy carbs regarding several biological processes such as overall quality of digestion, activating thermogenesis, providing with valuable micro-nutrients that are present in the fiber (vitamins, minerals, water, anti-oxidants and etc.) as well as more stable blood sugars, they also help feeling ''full'' throughout the day, which becomes vital while dieting (cutting).

When does the body start going into catabolic mode?

''Catabolism'' is inarguably the most favorite tool of the supplement industry. Studies as well as personal experience indicate that lifters who eat several small protein-fat and/or protein-carbohydrate meals throughout the day OR a few large meals with enough anabolic protein (1.2-1.5gr per lbs of LBM) do NOT suffer from breakdown of the lean muscle tissue. As long as there is an healthy balance of caloric input and caloric output with the right amount of daily macro-nutritional needs, there is absolutely no need for anyone to fear catabolism. Catabolism; however, will become even more of an important issue under such circumstances which the lifter has consistent sleeping pattern, stress issues, and smoking/drinking habits.

How do we burn fat through dieting ?

Although it is possible to burn fat solely through dieting, leaving cardio out of this equation is not a very wise move. Cardio is essential for overall human health, especially concerning cardiovascular health, which is an indispensable aspect of longevity, as well as providing the lifter with overall endurance. As a matter of fact, all pros do cardio, otherwise it would be hard for these juice monsters to live up to even age of 50. Running for instance, keeps testicles young and healthy, prevents kidneys from accumulating stones, flushes toxins out of your body, keeps your circulatory system young and healthy by providing elasticity to all the arteries, it certainly takes the edge off of the chemical lifter as well as negating the inflammation that naturally occurs after a session of lifting weights. In the last result, it is rather idiotic for a lifter to avoid cardio at all costs.

Also, how do we really burn fat through cardio?

Elevated hearth rate and internal body heat are the two major triggering mechanisms of burning fat through cardio. When you perform cardio with low blood sugar levels, it becomes much more likely for your metabolism to attack fat reserves since glucose is not present to be used as the primary source of fuel. When there are amino acids present in your blood stream while performing cardio and if you have low blood sugar (meaning that insulin is almost not present in the meantime), then burning of fat to breakdown of lean muscle tissue ratio is too high to be worried about catabolism.

How long is Insulin active in the blood?

It completely depends on the individual. As far as the motivation behind question is concerned, whey isolate is digested and amino acids enter the blood stream only in about 30min; whereas, this is 45-60min for whey concentrate, meaning that insulin is still active within the blood stream in order to get the job done as described. Therefore, you need not to bother yourself with the extreme details of nutritional intake as such.

Responses in bold.