Looking for some serious help and guidance

[bombastico]

I have been on a bulk diet for the last 5 months (I went from 168 to 216). Gained some belly fat as you'll see. I gained some muscle size, but I am still dissapointed in my chest (it still looks awful to me even though I can throw up more then I could before). My goal is to get a slightly more bulkier version of what Ryan Reynolds looked like in Blade trinity. (http://ffmedia.ign.com/filmforce/ima...6030347806.jpg)

I posted about 7 various pics of where I am at right now (beware they may be disturbing to some ) http://www.angelfire.com/planet/bombastico/pics/

sample:


Basically, I am still unsure if I still need to continue bulking or switch to cutting or a go on a more leaner diet. To be honest I have not been doing any cardio because I'm afraid it will hinder my muscle gain. I will start doing cardio now. I lift 3x a week and I am going to start doing cardio 6x a week (on empty stomach, low impact walking for about 40 min) starting tommorrow (is that too much? should I change it to 3x a week cardio?). Here is the new diet I will be trying (I changed very little from my bulking meal plan - i only changed the first meal from P/C to P/F). Here is what I got...

Meal #1
Whey Protein & Flax Oil (1.5 tablespoons)
435 cals, 48 pro, 6 carb, 23 fat

Meal #2
Whey Protien, Oats (1 cup) & 1 Banana
640 cals, 58 pro, 84 carb, 12 fat

Meal #3
Chicken Breast (5 oz), Whole Wheat Pasta (1 cup), Light Sauce & 2 slices Whole Wheat Bread
710 cals, 57 pro, 88 carb, 11 fat

-lift weights-

Meal #4
Whey Protein & Sweet Tarts
555 cals, 48 pro, 80 carb, 2 fat

Meal #5
Steak (6 oz) & Rice
730 cals, 57 pro, 63 carb, 25 fat

Meal #6
Cottage Cheese (1.5 cups) & Peanut Butter (3 tablespoons)
555 cals, 54 pro, 18 carb, 27 fat

Meal #7
Casein Protien & Flax Oil (1.5 tablespoons)
485 cals, 52 pro, 6 carb, 27 fat

4110 cals, 374 pro, 345 carb, 127 fat

And on my 3 non-lifting days I substitute Whey & 5 Rice Cakes for Meal #5 and I obviously dont take the whey & tarts. Everything else is the same.

So you've seen my hideous pics, know my goal and see my meal plan. What should I change or do to get me on the right track to what I want to accomplish?

thanks guys!

[Haro3]

man you need to do some research but that diet is incredibly high in cals....especially if your trying to lose weight. im 208 at about 15-16% and im eating 3200 cals....thats a bulking diet to me i'd do more research. jmo

[Kärnfysikern]

Read the cutting sticky ontop of this forum. WAY to much kcal. Going by your weight alone you should consume no more than 2500kcal as a start.
You can get rid of half the carbs and half the fat without problem and 374grams of protein is probably overkill. Lower it to around 300 grams.

Meal 5 needs to go since it combines plenty of fat with carbs.

You should do cardio every day. If you only walk I would suggest 1,5 hours each day since its a very low burning activity.

[bombastico]

Its high in cals because this is a bulking diet (my goal was to get to 230 and then start cutting). So you're suggesting I start cutting now, right?

[Kärnfysikern]

from your first post it sounds like you want to start trimming down right now??

Id say you should start cutting now. You have already gained alot of weight. Time to trim down and enjoy the gains

[bombastico]

This may sound dumb on my part, but the reason I was hesitant to start cutting is because it doesnt even look like I have much muscle :P (check the pics) I don't want to be skinny cut, but have some size and I'm afraid i'll lose muscle. But you are the pro, so I'll start cutting and see how that goes. I'll do cardio 6x a week but I can only do it for 45 min brisk walking at 75-80% HR. Here is my modified diet. tell me what you think:

Meal #1
Whey Protein & Flax Oil (1 tablespoon)
370 cals, 48 pro, 6 carbs, 16 fat

Meal #2
Whey Protien, Oats (1/2 cup) & 1/2 Banana
440 cals, 52 pro, 44 carbs, 8 fat

Meal #3
Chicken Breast (5 oz), Whole Wheat Penne Pasta (1 cup) & Light Sauce
570 cals, 51 pro, 64 carbs, 9 fat

Meal PWO
Whey Protein & Sweet Tarts
555 cals, 48 pro, 80 carbs, 2

Meal #4
Brown Rice (1/2 cup) & Chicken Breast (6 oz)
430 cals, 52 pro, 42 carbs, 5 fat

Meal #5
Cottage Cheese (1 1/2 cups) & Peanut Butter (2 tablespoons)
450 cals, 50 pro, 15 carbs, 19 fat

Meal #6
Casein Protien & Flax Oil (1 tablespoon)
420 cals, 52 pro, 6 carbs, 20 fat

TOT: 3235 cals, 353 pro, 257 carbs, 79 fat

And on non-lifting days I will change meals 4 & 5 to:

Meal #4
Whey Protein & Rice Cakes (5 whole)
490 cals, 53 pro, 61 carbs, 2 fat

Meal #5
Steak (6 oz), Mozarella Cheese (1/4 cup) & Veggies
460 cals, 54 pro, 0 carbs, 20 fat

TOT: 2765 cals, 310 pro, 181 carbs, 75 fat

thanks again! i owe alot to this forum... you dont even want to see pics of me from years ago!

[Kärnfysikern]

the thing about cutting is that the more fat you lose the bigger you look. Trust me there comes a point where you stop gaining muscle and just continue to gain fat when bulking for to long.

Im far from a pro on diets but I think you will enjoy beeing fit. Building muscles can not be rushed. 48 ibs of weightgain is one hell of a gain!

This may sound dumb on my part, but the reason I was hesitant to start cutting is because it doesnt even look like I have much muscle :P (check the pics) I don't want to be skinny cut, but have some size and I'm afraid i'll lose muscle. But you are the pro, so I'll start cutting and see how that goes. I'll do cardio 6x a week but I can only do it for 45 min brisk walking at 75-80% HR. Here is my modified diet. tell me what you think:

Meal #1
Whey Protein & Flax Oil (1 tablespoon)
370 cals, 48 pro, 6 carbs, 16 fat

looks good

Meal #2
Whey Protien, Oats (1/2 cup) & 1/2 Banana
440 cals, 52 pro, 44 carbs, 8 fat

good meal

Meal #3
Chicken Breast (5 oz), Whole Wheat Penne Pasta (1 cup) & Light Sauce
570 cals, 51 pro, 64 carbs, 9 fat

good meal

Meal PWO
Whey Protein & Sweet Tarts
555 cals, 48 pro, 80 carbs, 2

I am not sure what sweet tarts is?? Is it some kind of american candy? If they are high in fructose drop them otherwise I guess it works.

Meal #4
Brown Rice (1/2 cup) & Chicken Breast (6 oz)
430 cals, 52 pro, 42 carbs, 5 fat

good meal

Meal #5
Cottage Cheese (1 1/2 cups) & Peanut Butter (2 tablespoons)
450 cals, 50 pro, 15 carbs, 19 fat

works

Meal #6
Casein Protien & Flax Oil (1 tablespoon)
420 cals, 52 pro, 6 carbs, 20 fat

works

TOT: 3235 cals, 353 pro, 257 carbs, 79 fat

And on non-lifting days I will change meals 4 & 5 to:

Meal #4
Whey Protein & Rice Cakes (5 whole)
490 cals, 53 pro, 61 carbs, 2 fat

Meal #5
Steak (6 oz), Mozarella Cheese (1/4 cup) & Veggies
460 cals, 54 pro, 0 carbs, 20 fat

TOT: 2765 cals, 310 pro, 181 carbs, 75 fat

thanks again! i owe alot to this forum... you dont even want to see pics of me from years ago!

It looks like a good diet to start with. Go with it for 3 weeks. If you havent lost any weight cut down the carbs with 100 grams. Take them from meal 2 and meal 4. I think 3200 kcal is pretty high to start with. But some people can cut on higher kcal than I can so dont just take my word for it.
Lets se what the other people here think.

Do you have a high or low metabolism??

[bombastico]

Sweet tarts is basically dextrose candy. I read from some pros here that its ok for PWO dex.

As far as my metabolism, to be honest I am not quite sure if its high or low.

[Haro3]

whats the point in bulking to 230 then cutting? thats just more work in the end cuz your putting on a significant amount of fat by doing so....i'd start cutting and slowly turn it into a lean bulk once u trim down. Extreme bulks arent the way to go slow and steady gains = much more quality

[Giants11]

I'd make meal one solid meal. No need for a shake there and flax does not slow the digestion of whey, so that meal will be quickly utilized, much faster than you would like.

[bombastico]

I'd make meal one solid meal. No need for a shake there and flax does not slow the digestion of whey, so that meal will be quickly utilized, much faster than you would like.

What do you recommend? I only know of 3 different good P/F meals and I already have them all in my daily meal plans. I would swap #1 and #2 but I am planning on eating right after cardio, and I heard P/C isnt good for that.

[Kärnfysikern]

examples of good p/f meals

cottage chese
a steak
eggs
any meat and cheese
a burger without bun's
tuna and olive oil
chicken sallad with oil