diet while cycling

[Jor-El]

Let me start with stats

6' 1"
215 lbs
bf..9 percent
42 years old

have lifted most of my adult life and in the last year and half done 3 cycles. My first three consisted of test only and i made some pretty good gains.....everyone thinks i am juicing so i figure its working...hahaha
i would like to take it to the next level but i think my diet needs adjustments. Here is a typical daily diet and keep in mind i already know i drink way to many shakes.

7am 700 calories whey shake with milk and oatmeal

lift from 8-1030 am during which i drink a low cal 160 cal shake and a banana or apple and afterward another low cal shake and piece of fruit.

12ish pm i eat two turkey sandwiches on wheat with low fat cheese and avocado.

3 pm i usually eat fish steak or chicken and a veggie

6pm i eat the same as at 3 pm with rice, potato, or pasta

8pm peanut butter and sugar free jam on wheat bread with 2 percent milk

10 pm i drink a casein protein shake with milk

i am pretty big compared to most but pretty cut too, i would really like to start gains some size and bulk.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Damienm05]

Let me start with stats

6' 1"
215 lbs
bf..9 percent
42 years old

have lifted most of my adult life and in the last year and half done 3 cycles. My first three consisted of test only and i made some pretty good gains.....everyone thinks i am juicing so i figure its working...hahaha
i would like to take it to the next level but i think my diet needs adjustments. Here is a typical daily diet and keep in mind i already know i drink way to many shakes.

7am 700 calories whey shake with milk and oatmeal I'd do this: have a whey only shake as soon as you wake up to get some quick protein in. Then, about 30 minutes before you head to the gym, get some real food in to fuel your workout, no shake during. Example: 7:00 AM - 1 scoop whey with 1 cup milk. 7:30 AM - 2 whole eggs, 6 egg whites, 1.5 cups oats.

lift from 8-1030 am during which i drink a low cal 160 cal shake and a banana or apple and afterward another low cal shake and piece of fruit. Comments above cover the during. For your Post shake, have it at 11:00 AM to let things settle. Ideally 2 scoops of whey with 40-60g carbs via waxy maize, vitargo, more oats, or fruit if you must.

12ish pm i eat two turkey sandwiches on wheat with low fat cheese and avocado. Turkey is likely a processed deli meat, loaded with sodium. Low quality pro source and will bloat you on cycle. Wheat bread is a poor, processed carb source. Avocados are good but how much are you eating here? You already have carbs, so a large serving of avocado (fat) isn't needed. Save it for later IMO. A better meal would be a lean meat not processed, chicken breast say. A better carb source, 1 cup mashed sweet potato say.

3 pm i usually eat fish steak or chicken and a veggie Good. Here's where I'd add that serving of avocado. All meals but have an energy source (carbs or fat) to spare protein, especially while you're still anabolic PWO.

6pm i eat the same as at 3 pm with rice, potato, or pasta Make sure the rice and pasta are brown and the potato is sweet/yam. White versions of the above are too fast and high GI. Only justifiable PWO.

8pm peanut butter and sugar free jam on wheat bread with 2 percent milk Where's the protein? Sure PB has some but it's not a complete source. Make this meal look like the one above. Lean meat, complex carb, veggies.

10 pm i drink a casein protein shake with milk Maybe add a tbspn. of natural PB from the the meal I scrapped above.

i am pretty big compared to most but pretty cut too, i would really like to start gains some size and bulk. I didn't scrutinize your diet too much since you're bulking and you seem to have no issues with being or getting leaner. Usually, I'd say no milk, simple carbs, or anything whatsoever beyond low gi carbs, lean pro, veggies, and efas. If you wanna go deeper, we can but the above changes make your diet, much, much better.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Comments in bold.

As mentioned in bold, if you wanna go deeper and get your diet 100% perfect for this cycle - re-post a new diet, implementing suggestions (as close as you can based on what's available to you) with macros (pro/carb/fat/cal) for each meal and the daily total. Some info:

BMR/TDEE formula:

Let’s start with BMR. This is your Basal Metabolic Rate. AKA – how many calories you burn each day by just sitting on your ass. In order to figure out your BMR, you need to know what your lean body mass is. In turn, you need to know what your body fat percentage is.

If you don’t know your body fat percentage, go to your gym and get tested (please don’t use electronic scales to get your bf % checked, they're horrible). If you don’t have a gym that offers this service; ask me and I’ll give you a pretty good estimate.

With your bf % in hand, here’s the formula:

BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)

Total weight x bf % in decimal form = total bf weight

Total weight - total bf weight = total lean body mass

For example:

I am 6'1 210 lbs at 10% body fat... so I would multiply 210 by .10 (converted from percent to decimal) = 21 lbs
210 – 21 = 189 lbs lean body weight

189 / 2.2 = 86.0 lean mass in kg

370 + (21.6 x 86) = 2227.6 BMR (this is high for the average person)

Now that we have a BMR figure, we can move on to TDEE. Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is how many calories we actually use during the day via our BMR and activities such as work, exercise and various tasks. We can figure this number out with simple math but be honest because this figure is to be the cornerstone of your diet and healthy lifestyle. We need to determine your activity level. We’ll choose from a few levels:

§ If you are sedentary (little or no exercise): Calorie - Calculation = BMR x 1.2
§ If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
§ If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
§ If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
§ If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

For example:

I train with weights 5 days for 90 minutes per week. I play hockey three times per week
for 90 minutes. I do 60 minutes of cardio training 5 times per week as well. I also practice my sport 3 times per week for 90 minutes. Either via skating or puck/shooting drills. All are high-intensity. I am between very and extra active. Let’s say BMR x 1.8. My TDEE is 4010.

In terms of food choices, here goes:

I love analogies. Let’s use a good one. Think of your perfect body as a house that you must build. You’ve figured out your BMR and TDEE, so you know the exact specs of the property you have to work with. You know how exercise affects weight loss and how much of a caloric deficit/surplus we must create to lose/gain said weight; so you know how to build - you understand architecture. You also know the pace you intend on losing/gaining weight at based on these other factors, so you know it will be harder to get your house built in weeks as opposed to months. The only thing left is the tools/building material you must use and because you don’t know how to eat, you still can’t build anything. At least, not well. Sure, you can starve yourself for a few months but you’ll just gain all the weight back in a couple weeks of binge drinking and shitty eating on a vacation – you’re house will fall down!

So, let’s talk tools baby. Let’s talk food. First off, there are only 3 types of foods/macronutrients. Protein. Carbohydrates. Fat. That’s it.

Protein – 4 calories per gram - Building material. Bricks. You can’t gain energy from protein, you can only use it to build muscle/skin/hair/nails. It’s basically just amino acids and it’s what our bodies are made of. As such, we need lots of it. 1g of protein per body lb is a good number to shoot for . Go as high as 2g per body lb if you’re lifting weights and trying to build muscle. For example, I am 207 lbs and I eat between 300-400 grams per day. Our body can only break down so much at one time however, so we want to eat 20-40 grams of protein in every meal, several times per day. Protein, being building material only and not energy/labor – the body can rarely find a reason for it to be stored as fat. If you must over-eat – make it lean meat/fish.

Carbs – 4 calories per gram - Think of these as human labor for your house. Think of sugar as dudes you pick up out front of home depot and oatmeal as a skilled carpenter. Both are carbs, both serve very different purposes. Carbs help transport essential nutrients to the muscles, create glycogen stores, and as such, increase protein synthesis but do not build muscle; they are simply an energy source. As such, they should only be eaten/used when we need energy. Any carbs we ingest before bed or before watching a movie, or something sedentary are not used as energy, and as such, are more likely to be stored in the body as glycogen (glucose/water in our muscles that we will use when doing high-intensity exercise). Once our glycogen reserves are full, they will spill over and be stored as fat. Yes, they will make you fat. Carbs can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

Fats – 9 calories per gram - Like carbs, fats are an energy source, not a building material like protein. They provide nowhere near as much energy as carbs however. Ask anyone who's on a ketogenic diet. With regard to our house, think of fats as the glue/cement. They provide much needed essential fatty acids, which are great for joint/organ health and increase our protein synthesis. Going back to our analogy, cement/glue increases the effectiveness of bricks! If we give our bodies the right fats, it will be able to burn stored body fat quickly as it won’t see any use in keeping it. Remember, like carbs – not all fat is good and ALL fat is high in calories so watch out. A tablespoon of peanut butter can be a good addition to a meal. Snacking on 5-6 tablespoons, however, means you’ve just eaten over your TDEE for the day.

Acceptable proteins for your healthy lifestyle diet:

The goal is to eat lean protein. Meats/other sources low in fat/carbs.

§ Ground beef (93% lean or better)
§ Lean steak (Flank, flat iron, or top sirloin)
§ Bison sirloin (the highest quality red meat)
§ Chicken breast
§ Turkey breast
§ Tuna (canned or sushi grade)
§ Salmon
§ Tilapia (mostly all white fish)
§ All shellfish
§ Venison
§ Whey protein (post-workout recovery purposes only)
§ Casein/Cottage cheese (before bed only)

Black-List Protein sources. Do not eat these because they are high in fat. And not the
good kind we find in nuts and olive oil – I’m talking about cholesterol raising saturated
fat!

§ Bacon
§ Sausage
§ Expensive fat-marbled Steaks (Ribeye, Strip, Filet)
§ Pork and beef ribs
§ Pork/Lamb chops
§ Restaurant ground beef (80/20 fat – most burgers)
§ Duck
§ Chicken legs/thighs
§ Chicken skin
§ Cheese

Acceptable Carbs for your healthy lifestlyle:

Complex carbs are now your creed. These are slower-digesting, natural, low on the glycemic index carbohydrates that digest slowly and provide us with sustained energy. They do not drastically affect our blood sugar and do not cause insulin spikes. Thus our body sees no reason to store them as fat, it would rather burn them for energy. Simple carbs such as enriched white breads/pastas/rice/potatoes/sugars (including most fruit) cause insulin spikes and are high GI foods. They should not be eaten when on a strict diet. Fruit can be consumed early in the day or pre/post-workout because of it’s high nutritional value but should usually be avoided due to being a form of simple sugar. Remember, healthy, low-calorie foods aren’t always the correct foods and such is the case with fruit.

§ Oats/Oatmeal
§ Grits/Cornmeal
§ Unsalted/non-buttered popcorn (great, low-cal snack)
§ Sweet potato (the best choice)
§ Butternut squash
§ Whole wheat pasta (not enriched)
§ Organic whole wheat bread (not enriched wonder bread crap)
§ Brown rice
§ Ezekiel bread
§ Swedish grain bread
§ Gluten free bread
§ Wheat couscous
§ Corn
§ Quinoa
§ Lentils
§ Beans
§ Many more, look up the GI (glycemic index) for healthy choices

Black List:

§ White pasta
§ White bread
§ Baguette
§ Bagels
§ Cookies, cake, muffins, cupcakes, all sweets basically.
§ White couscous
§ White rice
§ You get the idea…

Don’t get discouraged upon reading this list. I still make desserts all the time with whole
grain flour and splenda. I buy bagels and baguettes at the health food store that use
complex carbs as a base. If you’re dedicated, you don’t have to miss out 100%

Acceptable fats for your healthy lifestyle:

We look for fat sources that are high in omega-3, 6, and 9 fatty acids. Also, many are high in protein. We do not want saturated fats such as butter, cream, meat fat. We don’t want test tube fats like trans (the worst). We want mono/polyunsaturated fats that our body can use for something other than calories. Remember, even good fats are high in calories.

§ Natural peanut butter (no sugar added, just roasted peanuts)
§ Natural almond butter
§ Cashews
§ Almonds
§ Peanuts
§ Flax seeds
§ Flax seed oil
§ Salmon and Trout (great fatty proteins)
§ Fish oil
§ Extra virgin olive oil (should be used on all veggies/salads)
§ Chia seeds
§ Grapeseed oil
§ Macadamia nut oil

Acceptable miscellaneous foods:

These foods don’t provide much as far as macronutrients but are great for adding vitamins/minerals and taste. Notice some of these other foods are dairy. Dairy is another animal’s milk. We lack the enzymes to digest it as they do and it’s high in fat/sugar. It should only be eaten early in the day for nutrient purposes with the exception of whey and casein (cottage cheese).

§ Skim milk (Hood brand is only 45 calories and 3g of sugar per cup)
§ Greek yogurt (no sugar added)
§ Berries (all berries are much lower in sugar than other fruits and packed with fiber/nutrients – eat berries)
§ Green Vegetables. These are technically carbs but they are packed with fiber (a type of carb that isn’t used as energy or stored). In bodybuilding/nutrition – we refer to most vegetables as fibrous carbohydrates. While a serving of Broccoli may have 6g of carbs, 5 are from fiber. Meaning that it contains only 1g of storable carbohydrates. In addition, green vegetables are a calorie neutral/negative food (our body uses more calories to digest them than they contain – think celery). Veggies should be eaten with every meal. Every day. If you do this, you can become almost impervious to getting sick. Some vegetables are better than others for healthy diets.
§ Many non-green vegetables. Most are fine – just check labels, some have a good bit of sugar and should be eaten in moderation only (carrots)

[Jor-El]

Hey....i really appreciate all that info.....i just got it but wanted to respond right away.....let me look it over....thats why i love this site people like you who kick me in the ass....you learn more by getting info than giving it.....thx bro! my biggest problem is eating that much food but honestly i want to get way bigger so it goes with the territory. thx again hope to gain more knowledge from you....

[Dan111]

Holy crap Damien, I am definitely bookmarking/printing out that entire post, great info, thanks!

[sprinter911]

Damien, do you have a formal nutrition background or is that all from experience and self study? You're good bro. Bump.

[Damienm05]

I graduated from the best culinary school in the country. I'm a personal trainer. Want to hear the best part? Until I discovered this board, I didn't know shit about diet! It's all this site man. Top, Fireguy, Twist, and others helped me a lot when I first joined. Since then, I haven't stopped learning.
Sure, I knew the nutritional value of like every food and how to prepare it. I also knew to eat lots of protein and complex carbs for BB dieting but beyond that, most trainers and chefs know nothing about eating correctly towards achieving physique goals. Everything I know was learned from bodybuilders who, unquestionably, have the greatest diet knowledge of anyone out there. Including nutritionists and doctors, IMO.

Edit: Updated my initial post with much more info. Just moved and have nothing to do this evening, haha.

[Jor-El]

hey body building brother......i have close friends that wouldnt spend that much time and effort helping me with my lifelong dream of well being a big son of a B......thx for all your efforts...BB friends for life thx!

[gbrice75]

Damien has your diet looking nice bro, take his advice!

And Damien, I agree about the doctors and nutritionists - 95% of them are CLUELESS when it comes to BBing nutrition...