Do I need to Increase Calories while on Cycle?

[Forever Dedicated]

I made a similar post a few days ago and got the answer ( wise as it may be ) that I need to experiment. Problem is I dont want to waste my first cycle because I was experimenting with calorie levels.

Heres the gist, my diet is spot on. Chicken, Brown Rice, Fish, Natural PB, Veggies, Oats, Egg whites, Loads of water ect. However, I cant decide at what caloric surplus I want to be at.

I am currently bulking with Anavar ( please dont start about how its better for cutting, I got the stuff for free from my brother who decided he wasnt ready ) and I originally planned to go with a surplus of 500 and bump as the weeks passed. Heres the problem...

This is my first cycle and while I could go by my bodyfat ( mirror ) Im quite unsure of whether because im on Anavar I should be gaining more off the same amount of food as I would if I werent on cycle or if I need to increase it and not worry about fat gains. Seeing as how Anavar does have some mild fat loss/hardening qualities I really want to avoid watching the scale too closely as well.

Question is, when on cycle does a 500 cal surplus become a 1000? Does your body utilize the extra cals or will I just end up a strong tubby at the end if I go at it with this mindset?


Cliffs
- Anavar Bulking ( dont hate )
- Undecided on Caloric Surplus
- Want to avoid Fat Gains

[rj90]

We need your stats before anything!

[Forever Dedicated]

Stats

Age - 24
Height - 6.3
Weight - 204
Body Fat - 11%

Edit - Not sure why my stats are needed, my question is in reference to general diet while on steroids.

[barnyap]

everyone is different, you can only get on cycle and experiment, no one can tell you what the calories will do to you... it depends on too many things

[brob82]

Barnyap is right, everyone is different...

On my first cycle I had somewhat of the same mindset. I was thinking well should I set my calories at a certain level and take the chance of not getting max gains out of it? So I ate a surplus of at least 1000 calories. For me, bad idea! I was somewhere around 12-15% BF before cycle. I ended up somewhere around 25%. So after my cycle I had to then diet to lose the BF and I'm sure I lost at least some of the muscle I worked for.

This is just my experience and again, everyone is different. BUT, I'd much rather keep my calories in check while on cycle than have to worry about how much BF you've accumulated at the end. It's a pain in the a$$ to work feverishly to get rid of unwanted fat and chance losing muscle gained especially when all you really wanted to do after your cycle is enjoy your gains! IMHO

[yannick35]

Barnyap is right, everyone is different...

On my first cycle I had somewhat of the same mindset. I was thinking well should I set my calories at a certain level and take the chance of not getting max gains out of it? So I ate a surplus of at least 1000 calories. For me, bad idea! I was somewhere around 12-15% BF before cycle. I ended up somewhere around 25%. So after my cycle I had to then diet to lose the BF and I'm sure I lost at least some of the muscle I worked for.

This is just my experience and again, everyone is different. BUT, I'd much rather keep my calories in check while on cycle than have to worry about how much BF you've accumulated at the end. It's a pain in the a$$ to work feverishly to get rid of unwanted fat and chance losing muscle gained especially when all you really wanted to do after your cycle is enjoy your gains! IMHO

Same here, i gained so much weight but almost all of it was fat, i must have gained 4 inches on my waist no joke. Test E made me eat like crazy.

Next time i am keeping an eye on calorie intake for sure.

Went from 174 pounds to 212 pounds in 12 weeks, i kept everything after the cycle but i had to do a huge diet to lose all that gut and fat YUKE.

[dec11]

oh jesus, it depends on what you are doing. OP you need to research a bucket load b4 you waste your time and money, your posts show a big lack in knowledge

[Forever Dedicated]

oh jesus, it depends on what you are doing. OP you need to research a bucket load b4 you waste your time and money, your posts show a big lack in knowledge

No my post shows I am on my first cycle and want the most out of it...

Ive done my research and I have a very clean diet. Ive experienced bulks, cuts, clean bulks ect and know where my caloric sweet spots are. However seeing as how it is my first cycle I am unsure of how my calories should change regardless of the research I have done and I want the most out of my time on cycle.

[Igifuno]

How many cals are you currently consuming, ed?

[Kibble]

This post is ....... ??

Steroids increase protein synthesis. You need extra protein and carbs to take advantage of this increased function.

Not increasing your calories is like adding a giant turbo to your car, and still running 89 octane gas.

Even on a cutting diet, you still need to EAT to preserve the muscle that you don't want to lose

[Forever Dedicated]

How many cals are you currently consuming, ed?

500 Calories over maintinence currently. Sense going on cycle my protein has been bumped to 400grams give or take 5-10 grams.

[Forever Dedicated]

Bump

[MuscleCommand]

To get what you want out of a cycle properly, you need to eat like an animal and make sure that much of it is protein. You don't want to get fat, but any mass cycle worth it's salt will make you a little plump. I'm not saying to go out and eat junk food for calories, but to limit yourself will limit your gains.

Unfortunatley there is no way around that. To get big, you have to eat big.

If you want to try to keep it at a minimum, then step up your cardio while on cycle and eat as much low fat foods as you can.

Look at any pro BBer when they do offseason guest posing. Don't they look really thick, even in the middle? Then when they are cutting up for a show, they drop a lot of that weight. It's part of the game.

[yannick35]

Yupe depending on your goals, this is the only time i would up protein intake to huge amount.

I store fat easily so for my next cycle i will keep my diet in check, at 38 years old i want to put on muscles and avoid as much fat as possible, hell i already have so much problem getting rid of it.

For me i will switch to a high protein diet to build as much muscles as possible and limit my total calories to around 2400 a day.

But as the guys on the board said and its the best advise yet you need to experiment and see what works for me, what works for me might not work for you.

Good luck and hope you figure out threw trial and errors. I know this sucks but we are all so different in our body types and more that its hard to give advise on this.

[dec11]

No my post shows I am on my first cycle and want the most out of it...

Ive done my research and I have a very clean diet. Ive experienced bulks, cuts, clean bulks ect and know where my caloric sweet spots are. However seeing as how it is my first cycle I am unsure of how my calories should change regardless of the research I have done and I want the most out of my time on cycle.

seeing as you needed to make this thread says that you need to research more before you start, i think you will end up disappointed

[Forever Dedicated]

seeing as you needed to make this thread says that you need to research more before you start, i think you will end up disappointed

This really isnt something I can research other then asking peoples personal opinions on it as I have in this thread. As for being disappointed. Im 7 days in and 50mg of Anavar has far exceeded my expectations and the changes in my body comp in a simple 7 days is shocking. So no, im not disappointed and yes I did do my research. However, I dont know everything and I never will so why on earth would I ever stop seeking advice and more knowledge?

Edit - Spelling

[Bossman]

Yupe depending on your goals, this is the only time i would up protein intake to huge amount.

I store fat easily so for my next cycle i will keep my diet in check, at 38 years old i want to put on muscles and avoid as much fat as possible, hell i already have so much problem getting rid of it.

For me i will switch to a high protein diet to build as much muscles as possible and limit my total calories to around 2400 a day.

But as the guys on the board said and its the best advise yet you need to experiment and see what works for me, what works for me might not work for you.

Good luck and hope you figure out threw trial and errors. I know this sucks but we are all so different in our body types and more that its hard to give advise on this.

When bulking increasing carbs is necessary for growth. In fact, you can lower your protein from what it would be on a cutting diet and increase your carbs and fats for growth. Carbs are protein sparing. What you describe is a cutting diet. You won't grow on it, but you will maintain muscle and burn fat.

I sat in a seminar that Jay Cutler put on last fall a couple of weeks after his win at the olympia. He said he was consuming 500 grams of protein during his diet, but after the contest dropped that down to 350-400 grams but increased his carb intake to 1000 grams ED. It's difficult for your body to digest high amounts of protein for extended lengths of time....so Jay says.