What’s the difference between 1)having a high calorie diet consisting of mostly carbs vs
I don’t understand the difference between protein consumption vs calorie consumption when it comes to gaining muscle
in the most simplified version - you need the building blocks (protein) to gain muscle, and you to need to be in an energy surplus (calories) for the body to actually build.
so having a higher calorie diet inadequate in protein means you dont have the material to build muscle, and having a normal calorie diet adequate in protein means your body won’t focus on building muscle even if you have enough material there because it’s only fed enough to maintain its normal functions (keep you alive)
If you are recovering from something, the body requires energy to heal injuries and repair itself. When working out, muscle fibres break down and this means that the body needs to recover.
The body requires energy (calories) to do this, but additionally we need proteins to build muscle.
High calorie with minimum protein will mean a very slow muscle building as there isn’t enough protein.
High calorie with high protein is optimal for muscle growth - might also gain some fat depending on the caloric surplus.
Net neutral with high protein will still build muscle at a good rate but not optimal for muscle growth. If you have an average to high body fat, then this isn’t going to be a big issue. Low body fat, you might struggle to build muscle as easily.
Calories are a unit of energy. They don’t really mean anything. You need protein to build muscle. You need fat to fuel your metabolism. You need glycogen to move your muscles. Your body doesn’t have any mechanism to count calories. It does have a bunch of different ways to know if you have enough of each specific macronutrient to do the activities you ask it to do.