In the end, isn't caloric in-take the most important?

[LankyFreak23]

I've been reading all sorts of conflicting opinions for years. But it seems pretty common on bodybuilding websites that you need 'at least a gram of protein per body weight'

Now I personally am not a bodybuilder, so I'm kind of approaching this from a more general perspective, but I still want to hear educated opinions on this.

If my maintenence level is 3,000 calories, and I slash 500 calories everyday and start weight training 3 times a week, how important is the carb/protein/fat ratio of the calories?

I understand the difference in nutrition between a bowl of ice cream and a bowl of broccoli. I also understand that if I ate 2,500 calories of ice cream a day I'd probably feel like total **** and still be hungry which would lead to overeating, lack of energy to exercise, etc.

But just for theoretical sake, lets say I eat 2,000 calories of ice cream and 500 calories worth of chicken breasts. I will absolutely still lose weight. Regardless of whether they are made of protein, fat, or carbs I am under my caloric limit, so it's a given that I'll start losing weight.

Is it really necessary to eat so much protein while trying to get fit? I've noticed some conflicting information on this as well, and it does make me wonder. Again, I'm not a bodybuilder, and i'm not looking to start an argument, I'm genuinely curious. Me being 6'4, 225, I've seen estimates of my necessary protein range from 254g all the way down to 70g. Isn't it true that if you're eating too much it'll just be converted to energy which can be stored just as easily as fat?

Because personally, eating anything more than 180 grams of protein a day felt totally unnatural to me. My body seemed to want more carbs, and I didn't feel like I was giving it the right energy at times.

Just another thing and I'll turn this over to those of you more knowledgeable than I. Does eating before sleep really matter? Again, if I'm under my caloric limit at the end of the day, why does eating at a certain time matter? The digestive system never stops, even while sleeping. You don't just eat something and have it turn to fat depending on what you're doing that instant, right?

Discuss!

[JayFive]

I think what you're asking here is requires a huge response. Because in order for someone to explain one thing, they need to explain the next and then the next. I'm not going to answer any of this as I haven't completed my courses on nutrition yet but I will say this:

How much you eat is important, but what you eat and when you eat it is just as, or damn near close to as, important.

For research, try looking into insulin response, nutrient timing, and protein synthesis.

[mitchcumstein]

Eating 2500 cals of ice cream and eating 2500 cals of chicken are not the same. Each one would make your body take a totally different metabolic pathway for energy. The Ice cream only would mess up your insulin sensitivity, cause you to store excess fat, and proabably eat into lean muscle for energy. The chicken only would cause your body to go into ketosis and burn stored fat for energy. Youd feel like **** when you worked out but youd get leaner.


All calories are not created equal. Calories only count in the end when youre eating a semi-balanced diet.