calories/protein

[ged]

i think ive read once or twice here that to put on weight, you need to intake more calories than you use up, and doing weights 'tells' your body to put on muscle.

whats the correlation between protein and calories? calories are energy (sugar?) and energy is not protein, which, along with water, is the building block of muscle, right?

[monkey mind]

All the body's tissues, including muscles, are made up of proteins. So, in order to build or repair muscle tissue you need to ingest enough protein (big controversy on what constitutes "enough"). 1 gram of protein equals 4 kCal, so protein can be used as fuel for the body, but it is not the body's first choice - that would be glycogen (which you make form carbohydrates), and then fat. Bottom line: eat protein for the health of your body's tissues, but not for energy. Hope that at least sort of answers your question.

[ged]

thanks for the post, it did help me out. so calories aren't purely sugar, you get energy from other substances.

im curious about the 1g protein = 4 kcal though.
how is the energy obtained from protein? by breaking up the amino acids or something?

[SevenStar]

The body can break calcium down to glucose, BUT the process (catabolism) can cause calcium depletion, which over time, obviously, can lead to diseases, like osteoporosis. And yes, catabolism breaks the protein down to simpler forms.

[greyseal]

Calories are actually the amount of heat/energy that it takes to burn food. I beleive that's how they determine the caloric value of a given food/liquid substance. THey apply heat to it and see how much heat/energy it takes to diminsish the target. UNfortunately, some things are easier to burn than others. 1 gram of Carbohydrates or proteins are equal to 4 calories, while 1 gram of fat is equal to 9 calories.

[IronFist]

Like greyseal said, everything you eat has calories, except for like water and stuff. Fat has 9 calories per gram, carbs and protein have 4 calories per gram. Calroies are what cause you to gain or lose weight, but to gain weight you need to increase all your calories (fat, carbs, and protein).

IronFist

[SevenStar]

The body will start to use protein for energy 1) if you have a lack of carbs and fats, or 2)if you've been doing intense exercise for a prolonged amount of time. While you are active, the body burns available carbs, then looks for fats, and finally proteins. When you are not active (sleeping, net surfing, etc) the body looks for fat first, then carbs, then protein.

[IronFist]

I thought it was carbs, then fat, then protein.

But I don't know diet stuff that well so maybe I'm wrong.

IronFist

[SevenStar]

it's carbs first when you are exercising. While resting, 70% of atp production is due to fats.

[ged]

so if proteins are absorbed last, and proteins are used to build muscle - that makes it sound as though you can both gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. is this correct?

[Serpent]

Certainly. That's what a good balance of cardio and resistance training will do for you. BUT, if you want massive gains then no cardio. But that's just plain unhealthy.

[12345]

Slight change of subject but still dietary. Does anyone know much about carb loading/preparing for an endurance event. I have a half marathon coming up a week on Sunday - hoping to do it as close to 1 hour 30 as I can. Never ran as far as this before. I am planning to taper my training so that my last long run will be 5 days before the race, just do a couple of easy jogs after that. But I am wondering what my diet should be.

I intend to eat a high carb meal the day before, a light breakfast and maybe a muesli bar or some jaffa cakes just prior to the race. Would it be worth eating more carbs in the days leading up to it?

Might think about a sports carbo drink with some glycerol (to inhibit urination and help hydration) mixed in prior to the race - don't want to spend the race dying for a pee - sort of puts you off your stride. Maybe some caffeine - no harm in a little legal stimulant. They will have water stations throughout the race.

Anyone care to comment?

[IronFist]

ged:
so if proteins are absorbed last, and proteins are used to build muscle - that makes it sound as though you can both gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. is this correct?

serpent:
Certainly. That's what a good balance of cardio and resistance training will do for you. BUT, if you want massive gains then no cardio. But that's just plain unhealthy.

Um... to the best of my knowledge, it is very difficult to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time when you're talking significant changes. The body either is in an anabolic or catabolic mode, not both. I mean, you can do it, but you might only gain 5lbs of muscle all year. This is why you gain fat along with muscle if you're going for significant gains.

Note: if you're a complete newbie to working out, or if you're on the right drugs, then you can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. But otherwise... not really unless you're a genetic freak.

IronFist

[ged]

thanks for the info everyone.
so if i'm serious about gains, i should forget about losing my gut? i suppose it's the price i have to pay. personally i think it adds to my debonair appeal.

[ged]

good luck for your race 12345. ive got no useful advice, apart from maybe finding out how long it takes your body to get the energy from carbos once you consume them, and eat a lot of them around that time.