The genesis of this whole research on my part is obstacles created by my work schedule and environment to eating (or not being able to) consistently throughout the day.
It seems that most information I can find cites a macro ratio that is always highest in carbohydrate (CHO) and lowest in fat and averages in the 50% range for CHO, 25% from PRO, and 20% from FAT. Just three quick hits from a google search for macronutrient ratio:
55/25/20%
50/30/20%
60/20/20%
Even when looking at "pre-workout" and "recovery" macro ratios I see a lot of information dictating a CHO
RO ratio range of 4:1 to 2:1 for recovery and anything from 3:1 to 1:2 for pre-workout nutrition depending on goals, higher CHO for building mass and higher PRO for cutting fat.
Lately I have been paying close attention to macro-nutrient ratios and noticed something that I found interesting when looking at Meal Replacements vs. Gainers.
Although I looked at several brands, using one specific brand I was looking at (Dymatize) as an example, I noticed that the "Gainer" was actually more balanced in terms of macronutrient ratio and the "Meal Replacement" was very lop-sided with a lot of PRO and much lower in CHO. The other brands were very similar.
Their "Hi-Protein Gainer" breaks down as such:
54% CHO
40% PRO
4.5% FAT
0% Sat. Fat.
1.35:1 CHO to PRO ratio.
Their "12-Hour MRP":
21.5% CHO
64.6% PRO
13.8% FAT (3.5% from Sat. Fat)
1:3 CHO to PRO ratio.
So in actual fact, the "Meal Replacement" looks more valuable as a "pre-workout" supplement while the "Gainer" looks more useful in terms of "recovery" and overall balanced nutrition.
My simple process to coming to that conclusion is that if I truly replaced every meal throughout my day with one of these supplements, which would get me closer to "home."
IOW, if I replaced 4-5 meals with the Gainer (per 600 calorie serving) my total caloric intake would be:
2400-3000 calories
324-405g CHO
240-300g PRO
12-15g FAT
Using the MRP (per 260 calorie serving):
1040-1300 calories
56-70g CHO
168-210g PRO
16-20g FAT
My thoughts after seeing this would be to supplement with the "Gainer" even though my goal is to lose body fat and add a few pounds of lean mass. Once I looked at the actual ratios, I wondered if the "you'll gain fat" mantra of gainers is really all that warranted.
Thoughts?
It seems that most information I can find cites a macro ratio that is always highest in carbohydrate (CHO) and lowest in fat and averages in the 50% range for CHO, 25% from PRO, and 20% from FAT. Just three quick hits from a google search for macronutrient ratio:
55/25/20%
50/30/20%
60/20/20%
Even when looking at "pre-workout" and "recovery" macro ratios I see a lot of information dictating a CHO
RO ratio range of 4:1 to 2:1 for recovery and anything from 3:1 to 1:2 for pre-workout nutrition depending on goals, higher CHO for building mass and higher PRO for cutting fat.Lately I have been paying close attention to macro-nutrient ratios and noticed something that I found interesting when looking at Meal Replacements vs. Gainers.
Although I looked at several brands, using one specific brand I was looking at (Dymatize) as an example, I noticed that the "Gainer" was actually more balanced in terms of macronutrient ratio and the "Meal Replacement" was very lop-sided with a lot of PRO and much lower in CHO. The other brands were very similar.
Their "Hi-Protein Gainer" breaks down as such:
54% CHO
40% PRO
4.5% FAT
0% Sat. Fat.
1.35:1 CHO to PRO ratio.
Their "12-Hour MRP":
21.5% CHO
64.6% PRO
13.8% FAT (3.5% from Sat. Fat)
1:3 CHO to PRO ratio.
So in actual fact, the "Meal Replacement" looks more valuable as a "pre-workout" supplement while the "Gainer" looks more useful in terms of "recovery" and overall balanced nutrition.
My simple process to coming to that conclusion is that if I truly replaced every meal throughout my day with one of these supplements, which would get me closer to "home."
IOW, if I replaced 4-5 meals with the Gainer (per 600 calorie serving) my total caloric intake would be:
2400-3000 calories
324-405g CHO
240-300g PRO
12-15g FAT
Using the MRP (per 260 calorie serving):
1040-1300 calories
56-70g CHO
168-210g PRO
16-20g FAT
My thoughts after seeing this would be to supplement with the "Gainer" even though my goal is to lose body fat and add a few pounds of lean mass. Once I looked at the actual ratios, I wondered if the "you'll gain fat" mantra of gainers is really all that warranted.
Thoughts?