A Non-Cheat Day When Bulking?

[Aragorn]

Since no one is browsing in the Diet Forum...I'm asking this here....

Just to keep this thread here I'll say....steroids!

At the moment I'm bulking and been keeping my calories around 4700-and 5000 for the last couple of weeks...and no I'm not on anything but the grocery bill.

The question is...Is it alright to take a one day out of the week and eat like a normal person(roughly 3000-3500cal)just to shock your body? Kind of like the theory of if someone was cutting they should have a cheat day so they can save their sanity?

Thanks,

Aragorn

[5minsforfighting]

Did that same cycle this summer and loved it ... When im on or off a cycle im always on a seefood diet ... I see it I eat it ... I found taking days off eating the max calories I can hurt my gains and even at times dropped weight for me... But then again I am a hardgainer and putting on weight is a challange for me ... In-n-out burgers and BK double woppers were always on the menu for me before I went to bed ...

[Aragorn]

I'm not talking about a sufficient cease of the diet...just dropping every other week for a day...then jumping back in the saddle.

And I'm just a hard gainer as anyone else. I guess I'm thinking of a microcosm of the ABC diet formed by Torbjorn Akerfeldt way back in the day.

Thanks 5forfighting for the comment.

Aragorn

[nj_]

I don't think it would be detrimental, you might feel a bit hungry but thats about it would be my guess. Give it a shot and keep us posted on the results, sounds interesting to me as I haven't heard this theory before.

[iron4life79]

actually, this is what im doing right now, and i do it for one day every week.
i eat so much while on that im constantly full. so i take one day, and "eat like a normal person".
i usually do this in the middle of the week, say wednesday or thursday, and then, as you say, back in the saddle.
it does break up the endless days of calories, calories, calories.......
and when this day is done, like posted above, im hungry again, and ready to finish the week as planned.
this goes against the norm of traditional bulking diets, and ive never really thought of posting it up to see if it was cool or not, i just do it.
it definitely helps........

peace bb79

[Rickson]

If you were to drop calories I would do it on a day you were not lifting.

[iron4life79]

Originally posted by Rickson
If you were to drop calories I would do it on a day you were not lifting.

this is why i do it in the middle of the week......wednesday is an off day for me. thursday isnt, but i dont notice any appreciable drop in strength or stamina when i pick this day.......interesting thought though, and im sure some are affected differently than me.

peace bb79

[Aragorn]

I appreciate the comments guys...now if I were to drop the calories but keep up my protein intake for the day so that I could still hit the gym. Maybe not a day where I lift till I collapse but to get a short intense sweat going...I still want to hit legs today. What do you think? This might be something I'll incorporate every week now.

Aragorn

[Warrior]

Actually diet periodization has been written about a few times. If high calories are kept up constently then excess fat will be developed. By periodizing your diet with a high, medium and low calorie approach less fat gain can be developed while increasing lean mass.

In reference to how to workout the day you are low calorie: If you had a high calorie day followed by a low calorie... your glycogen stores will be high on the low calorie day due to the previous days loading (carb loading is often practiced for endurance events) - depending if you ate well after your last workout on the high calorie day.

The following day if you were still low calorie you would start to feel sluggish since a day of low calories and hard training has just gone by and glycogen/ATP stores have not been able to fully recover.

But if you ate under 2000 calories that day, your previous days load would be effected by your normal daily activities, and trianing intensity would be limited. Especially if carbs were kept low. Your brain sucks up 30 grams of carbs a day just to allow you to think straight. Low calorie for a 200lbs BB should not go lower than 2500 (with about 350-400 grams of carbs) when trying to add size - and should only be used very infrequently to shock your metabolism.

Here try this...

Here is a good link on different dieting approaches that use a periodization approach: Diet Manifesto. It explans very well how some work and some don't.

[5minsforfighting]

Very interesting post guys ... Thinking about giving it a try sometime...

[Jack87]

Originally posted by Aragorn
At the moment I'm bulking and been keeping my calories around 4700-and 5000 for the last couple of weeks...and no I'm not on anything but the grocery bill.

Holy Shit that's alot of food brother I wish i could somehow just eat that much for a month because I'd probably grow like a weed right now and would hit my goal in no time... I'm lucky to pack down 3000 to 3200 calories a day including MRP's...

[Aragorn]

I'm learning the discipline really fast...it was really hard the first week but my mental set is changing and I'm almost looking forward at battling that extra chicken breast just before I slam a bedtime shake.

It really hits you when you have to run to the grocery store at 11pm at night when you realize you're all out of chicken and you need that last meal.

Aragorn