Fibers

• proteins: 1.8-2.2 g/kg; • fats: 1-2 g/kg; • carbohydrates: optimal range of 3-5 g/kg.

The choice to lean towards carbohydrates or fats depends on various factors.

For example, in my opinion, fats are valid allies to be taken into consideration, precisely in the caloric load phases, particularly once the stall and/or the limit in the carbohydrate increase has been reached: this will allow us to gradually reduce carbohydrates to the bare minimum, while increasing the Kcal thanks to the increase in fat.

It will therefore be possible to exploit the advantages that this increase will have on the metabolic level. We will also find these advantages in the cut phases, in which we will be able to strategically “cut” the fats without particularly altering the carbohydrates. This will offer us some “calorie bonuses” to gradually create an imbalance in favor of the carbohydrates, as the percentage of fat goes down and the insulin sensitivity is on our side.

We know perfectly well that, in the case of training at higher volumes and intensities, this progressive increase in carbohydrates will be an excellent advantage during the definition phase; moreover, it will allow us to preserve the muscle gains of the previous phase as much as possible, protecting us from the risk of incurring protein catabolism, theoretically dictated by the low-calorie diet; moreover, it will improve the compliance with the caloric restriction compared to a low-glucose diet and this is something that should shouldn’t be underestimated.

Returning to our example subject (80 kg weight, 30 years old, 180 cm tall, TDEE 2650 Kcal, body fat 10%: creating a caloric surplus of 10%, we will set a caloric target at 2915 Kcal.

Macronutrients: • fats: 25-40% or 1-2 g/kg; since the body fat is at a more than acceptable level, we can start with 1 g/kg of fat; • proteins: 1.6-2.3 g/kg; the lower the body fat, the more proteins we can initially set; we can start with 2.3 g/kg; • carbohydrates: by difference, and given the body fat, we will be able to take advantage of the caloric boost of carbohydrates to minimize fat gain. Making the related calculations: • 80 g of fat = 720 Kcal • 180 g of proteins = 736 Kcal • 2915 Kcal (caloric target) –720 (Kcal from fat) –736 (Kcal from protein) = 1459

Kcal remaining for carbohydrates, approximated to 1460 Kcal • 1460 × 4 (Kcal of carbohydrates) = 365 g of carbohydrates

Macronutrient summary:

• 180 g of protein = 25% • 80 g of fat = 25% • 365 g of carbohydrates = 50%

After starting from the minimum amount of the ideal fats during the bulk phase, we can gradually increase their percentage compared to carbohydrates. This would go hand in hand with the physiological decrease in the insulin sensitivity which is caused by the high-calorie diet, and the increase, even if controlled, of the body fat.

Number of meals and the protein quantity

Regarding the number of recommended meals, the scientific community is not unanimous, as usually happens for this type of issue. In fact, it would seem that increasing the frequency of meals during the day can be advantageous for optimizing protein synthesis in the short term, but in the long term it would not be particularly decisive.

During the phases of the high-calorie diets, increasing the time window between one protein meal and another, will hardly negatively alter the protein turnover. In the event of a calorie deficit, however, it is important to use common sense and reasoning about the fact that eating more protein meals keeps the appetite under control and helps in maintaining compliance. Furthermore, guaranteeing a fair amount of protein every 3-4 hours would help support protein turnover (Arciero, 2013; Antonio, 2015).

It should be noted that, in the case of abundant quantities of protein in the diet, in order to avoid the metabolic waste in the single meal, deferring the amount of total protein and spreading it in a balanced way in meals would still make more sense, regardless. This allows you to fall within the range suggested by the guidelines, which recommend 20 to 50 g of protein per meal.

If, on the other hand, the protein quota is low, from my experience I can say that many people are better off dividing them into 2-3 meals just to have higher satiety, but this is a matter of personal preference and habits.

Meal timing

Nutrient and meal timing are much discussed in the sports nutrition landscape, especially in the fitness/bodybuilding context. If we talk about the amateur level, they have a relative importance. However, if we are dealing with a competitive athlete, or an athlete who wants to get the most out of it, even if not in terms of competitions, then the timing must absolutely be personalized and taken into consideration.

Very briefly, thanks to the latest scientific confirmations, we can outline the different types of timing based on: the percentage of the chosen macronutrients, body composition of the subject, level of the subject (advanced, intermediate, beginner), deficit or caloric surplus, training time.

Let’s take an example: an intermediate subject, with a body fat of 15%, during the caloric surplus phase (bulk); he trains at around 6 pm. We could spread the daily macronutrients in the following way: • breakfast: fats5 + proteins + low fibrous carbohydrates; • snack: fats5 + proteins; • lunch: fats5 + proteins + low fibrous carbohydrates; • pre-workout snack: medium/slow release proteins + low glycemic index carbohydrates; • peri-workout: nitric oxide stimulators + powdered carbohydrates + hydrolyzed proteins or EAA;