Protein supplementation when doing conditioning on caloric deficit
BACKGROUND
For about four months now I have been on a low carb diet, and during that time I went from 93 to 78kg. I have been lifting some weights (some squats, overhead pushes, bent over rows) at a low rep (6-8) and set (1-2) count, once or twice a week, just for maintaining the existing muscle mass. Im quite sure most of the weight lost was fat. Some calculations made with my (a bit inncaurate) bathroom scales that has BF% measurement, I concluded that around 75% - 80% of the weight lost was fat.
Since my diet was actually based on changing eating choices/patterns, not counting grams and calories, and I mean to keep it, I cant really control accurately my calorie and protein intake. Still, I would be guessing that Im in or near to a caloric deficit. The diet bases on removing sweets, bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other similar carbohydrate sources and severely limiting fruit. Ocasionally (once a week or two) I allow myself for a carbohydrate spike, eating pretty much anything I want, pizza or chocolate included, just to keep the diet maintainable in the long run.
Now I wanted to begin a training plan around 2 physical and 1 swordsmanship technical workout a week (please see this: Making a training plan for medieval swordsmen / reenactment question, it could use some more good aswers). I will be mostyly focusing on endurance/90sec burst interval adaptation rather than strength during the physical preparation workouts.
Im afraid that my protein intake might bee to small for such a training plan. Most probably I still am in caloric deficit, as my weight isnt yet stable (Fluctuates +- 1kg, with a overal declining tendency, at least up till now). Thats why I was considering including some protein supplementation to make sure i get enough of protein to prevent muscle loss.
QUESTION
While my diet includes quite a lot of eggs, dairy and different forms of meat, I cant be sure if its fit for some additional conditioning training. Is adding some supplementation "just in case" a good idea? If so, how much should I add?
Also (I dont want to repeat the background section in another question) can the conditioning training interfere with my body recomposition program, which is based on eating pattern changes? Can this program hinder my efforts to improve my endurance/condition? Please note, im not trying to build muscle mass while losing weight. I want to improve how long I can be active in high intensity 90sec bursts, without hidnering my fat-loss-ability and ruining my existing strength and muscle mass.
(1)1 Comments
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"Is adding some supplementation "just in case" a good idea? If so, how much should I add?"
"Can the conditioning training interfere with my body recomposition program, which is based on eating pattern changes?"
"Can this program hinder my efforts to improve my endurance/condition?"
The answer to all these questions is... yes! To understand why, ill answer each question starting at 1 and ending with 3.
Q1. Protein supplementation is typically a wise move for those using strength training to accomplish fitness or physique based goals. While whey protein powder is one of the most efficient proteins you can use (based on bio availability), it's possible to get away without supplementing with it if you can stomach eating enough protein to cover it. However, even the most dedicated individual would have a difficult time trying to eat THAT MUCH chicken (or any other protein rich food source), instead of substituting an easy to drink shake instead. In terms of how much, there isn't a "one size fits all" type of answer, as it depends on many individual factors. Factors such as workout intensity, and how much a person weighs, are examples of things that differ per person, and this will factor into the optimal amount of protein a person needs. The Huntington College of Health Sciences, stated that 1.3-1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, is the range most authorities agree on [1]. However, this article from the Journal of Sports Sciences, recommends amounts up to 1.8-2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day [2]. Try different amounts for 2-3 weeks and note how you feel and look, if you feel good and like your making progress, keep the amounts the same and re-evaluate in another 2-3 weeks, otherwise, bump up the amount until you get to that level.
Q2. The second source has a section in it titled "Changes in body composition with nutrition and exercise", and I'll bullet a few of the more important quotes from it.
"Emerging evidence suggests that reducing the intake of dietary carbohydrates is a critically important step in promoting both greater weight loss and greater loss of body fat"
"However, following low carbohydrate, lower GI diets may be a problem for endurance athletes seeking to compete, since dietary carbohydrate intakes are recommended to be higher to allow a more rapid and full recovery of endogenous glycogen stores"
"Thus, at the expense of carbohydrates, a higher protein or fat intake can obviously compromise performance"
A lower carb diet can be very effective at decreasing fat levels ** (I can personally vouch for this as well) **but there's a potential for it to have an adverse effect on performance.
Which leads to question 3...
Q3. High intensity 90 sec bursts of activity means were talking endurance. Glycogen is an important source for creating ATP, which is a particularly important energy source for exercise bouts lasting 60-90 seconds [3]. And if you're removing carbohydrate sources as you said, it's going to be difficult to perform at the highest level possible in your fitness endeavors. On your days off, I personally believe switching to a more fats-based diet is a good way to boost insulin sensitivity which can be a powerful factor in preventing weight gain.
Hope that clears everything up, and that it helps you become one bad-ass medieval swordsmen.
Sources
www.hchs.edu/literature/BCAA.pdf http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640414.2011.619204#.Urjl8fYsWpI www.faqs.org/sports-science/Ba-Ca/Carbohydrates.html
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