I know a lot of people bulk on very high carbs 300g 400g etc but how about meeting my macros on a lower 150g/day ?
I have never really gone over 250g carbs/day on purpose because it tends to leave me bloated and retaining water plus my family has a history of type 2 diabetes so I have always been weary of a high carb approach.
My macros today were:
140g carbs
101 fat
219 protein
Just under 2700 calories
I have no problem with energy/strength gains in the gym and my pumps are great.
Do carbs have a diminshing level of returns after a certain level ?
I am sure if I ate 50g carbs and 120g fat my performance would drop but, 120-160g seems to be the sweet spot.
[quote]TC15 wrote:
I know a lot of people bulk on very high carbs 300g 400g etc but how about meeting my macros on a lower 150g/day ?
I have never really gone over 250g carbs/day on purpose because it tends to leave me bloated and retaining water plus my family has a history of type 2 diabetes so I have always been weary of a high carb approach.
My macros today were:
140g carbs
101 fat
219 protein
Just under 2700 calories
I have no problem with energy/strength gains in the gym and my pumps are great.
Do carbs have a diminshing level of returns after a certain level ?
I am sure if I ate 50g carbs and 120g fat my performance would drop but, 120-160g seems to be the sweet spot.
[/quote]
Many people feel fine with 100 to 150 gram, so long as total calories are set properly.
I’m right there with you. I’ve slowly put on size while staying relatively lean all around the 150g mark. At this point, I know my optimal intensity, frequency, volume, etc. week to week and know that that’s as much as I need. I also know that with lower fats I fall apart. Aching joints, loss of energy, issues sleeping, etc.
That being said, don’t be afraid to experiment, and don’t be afraid of a little water retention. 150 is the sweet spot I found after experimenting with much higher carb approaches. Who knows, you might feel awesome at 300 and stay lean while performance jumps.
One last thing, going relatively low like that I find every couple weeks or so I can get away with a “free” day where I eat what I want within reason. Typically pretty heavy day for sweets and I probably land in the 400-600g range. It provides a nice little boost to training for a couple days after too. Just experiment and be honest with what you see in the mirror and how you feel the next couple mornings.