Help me with my macros!

[beckie]

So I have done 2 contests and still my body holds onto fat and water....
My 2 contest diets have been this

1) cals,start at 2000,end up at 1500-1600,macro 45c,30p,25f-didn't lose enough fat but gained muscle,scale weight did not change much,held in quads and lower abs

2) cals,start at 2300,end up at 1400-1500,macro's 40c,30p,30f-lost some fat but also lost muscle close in,scale weight dropped about 12lb from 133,but I still held in the triceps and quads

Carbs consist of oats,sweet potato,brown rice and a little yogurt,but the yogurt gets cut out.

Problems:
Any lower that 150g carbs and my serotonin levels go whacky and I get depressed and anxious,so I can't go lower than that!
Any higher than 160g protein and my skin goes nasty and I get 'blocked up'
If my cals go lower than 1400-1500 I lose muscle overnight
Fats were flax oil only first time around and avocado and flax plus a little salmon 2nd time around

I have to find a way to lower my bodyfat and retain more muscle without going under the 1400-1500 threshold. I am thinking maybe dropping the fat down to 20-25% but am unsure what to do with the carbs and protein...maybe a 45(180g)C/35(140g)P/20(35g)F on a 1600 cal diet..

Any ideas???
Currently I am 133lb and 20% bf

Thanks

[sicario]

beckie said:

So I have done 2 contests and still my body holds onto fat and water....
My 2 contest diets have been this

1) cals,start at 2000,end up at 1500-1600,macro 45c,30p,25f-didn't lose enough fat but gained muscle,scale weight did not change much,held in quads and lower abs

2) cals,start at 2300,end up at 1400-1500,macro's 40c,30p,30f-lost some fat but also lost muscle close in,scale weight dropped about 12lb from 133,but I still held in the triceps and quads

Carbs consist of oats,sweet potato,brown rice and a little yogurt,but the yogurt gets cut out.

Problems:
Any lower that 150g carbs and my serotonin levels go whacky and I get depressed and anxious,so I can't go lower than that!
Any higher than 160g protein and my skin goes nasty and I get 'blocked up'
If my cals go lower than 1400-1500 I lose muscle overnight
Fats were flax oil only first time around and avocado and flax plus a little salmon 2nd time around

I have to find a way to lower my bodyfat and retain more muscle without going under the 1400-1500 threshold. I am thinking maybe dropping the fat down to 20-25% but am unsure what to do with the carbs and protein...maybe a 45(180g)C/35(140g)P/20(35g)F on a 1600 cal diet..

Any ideas???
Currently I am 133lb and 20% bf

Thanks

First of all buddy, I think that you are right, you should NOT go under 1500 cals a day by any means. Not only is it dangerous, but it will slow your metabolism down waaaay too much to be burning any fat. Also, what is your veggie intake like??? I mention this because my "cutting" diet consists of a very high protein intake, and a very, very, low carb intake, and I have found that as long as I have one very large green salad a day I have no problem whatsoever in staying "regular" as it were. You also don't want those seratonin levels to drop too much, so I'd keep your carbs at 150, but SLOWLY bump up the protein and see if you can avoid those skin problems. If you add the salad (I have it with lunch) that should take care of the problem with the extra protein making you "blocked up." I'd also ditch the potatoes (personally I don't consider them to be complex carbs because off all the starch they contain) and the avacodos. Try extra virgin olive oil instead, Vin.

[beckie]

I have plenty of fibrous veggies-lots of broccoli,cauli,broccoflower,beans etc but even with that my bowels don't like all the protein..but I will try your suggestion and see what happens! So just rice and oats eh??

[sicario]

Sounds like your fiber intake is fine, some people just are naturally more "bound" than others, so that could be the case. Try the salad anyways and see if it helps. Also, as I am sure you already know, water is important to keep everything "flowing" as it were, LOL. And yes, just stick to the brown rice (make shure it still has the "husk" on it) and the oats. I've read a lot of convincing studies about the G.I. index of the foods over the last few years, and am MORE than convinced that potatoes and pasta are NOT complex carbs. Vin.

[beckie]

Cheers Vin! If you have any good references on the starchy stuff I'd be keen to have a read

[Intensity]

Beckie, here is my suggestion:

Go down at around 30g of fat, 150g of carbs and 125g of protein! Eat as much vegetable as you CAN and do not count their macros in those numbers. Cals from carbs must comes from oatmeal and brown rice(maltodextrose post workout)

[sicario]

beckie said:

Cheers Vin! If you have any good references on the starchy stuff I'd be keen to have a read

One of the best books I've read on the G.I. Index is called "Living the g.i. diet" by Rick Gallop. It explains everything you'd ever want to know about the G.I. index, and more. It has a lot of good recipies too, just in case you run out of ideas. Just to give you an idea of what I was talking about with the potatoes, in the book, they have a G.I. rating of 84, THE SAME as CORN FLAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So much for being a complex car, LOL, Vin.

[beckie]

Thanks Mo-sounds like its worth a go

Vin,I'll have a look for that book