Cycle diet info???

[fightingirish23]

So I am starting a test prop and anavar cycle next week. 50mg Prop every day and 50mg of anavar every day. I'm actually a little chunky right now 6'1" 220 with 20% body fat (last summer was 7%) mostly cause i've been eating like shit. However I've been trying to get my diet back on track the last couple of weeks. I do MMA and massive amounts of cardio with lifting. I run a minimum of 3-5 miles every day, 20 min on stair machine doing intervals and swim about a mile every other day, along with Muay Thai and BJJ 3-4 days every week. This is my current diet please help me improve in any way for my upcoming cycle and any critiques would be appreciated to help out for post cycle.

7:00 AM- Bowl of fiber one with calorie countdown milk, a banana and black coffee

9:00 AM- pre-workout, cliff bar and probolic protein shake with calorie countdown milk

12:00 PM- post-workout, whole wheat wrap with fat free cheese, sliced turkey deli meat, lettuce, tomato, fat free mayo and vinegar. 1 cup of fat free greek yogurt with a handful of walnuts

4:00 PM- probolic protein shake with calorie countdown milk

6:00 PM- Grilled chicken/fish/steak with steamed veggies and 1 cup of brown rice


And that's it, should I maybe be taking in more protein with the cycle and cut down on the carbs. My only problem is when training and doing so much cardio I honestly feel like I'm gonna die when I take the carbs down a little.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!!!!

fightingirish23

[Back In Black]

Firtly, welcome. Secondly, oh dear! That is truly an awful diet.

Tell me you aren't planning on cycling on this diet at that bf %?

What are your goals?

[fightingirish23]

Well I did a few triathlons last year and I completely stopped lifting during the summer because I was told I was way too big for the sport, even at 7% bf!!! So now I've started lifting again because my MMA training has suffered dramatically from losing so much muscle. My goals are to get my bf back down below 10% and to regain my strength and muscle I had last year. The only cycle I've ever done was hgh with a very light dosage of prop. I've heard nothing but amazing things for MMA fighters in combing prop and var. I'm very used to taking in massive amounts of carbs do to the amount of cardio I do. Given the amount I should be much leaner but I've truely eaten like shit this entire winter. So please, any advice would be greatly appreciated. I usually burn through cardio alone close to 900-1,000 calories a day.

thanks,
fighitngirish23

[Back In Black]

Mate, read these 2 threads

http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...ng-101-Cutting

http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...ng-101-Cutting

and I know you've been looking at 405's thread too.

If you were too big for a triathlon at 7% you must have had alot of lean mass. I trained a competitive triathlete and his bodyfat was about 15% but he wasn't too heavy at all.

Anyhow, your goal is to cut. Read what I suggested except you can ignore the bit where I say I have 4 carb meals as I now condense them into 3 meals - breakfast, pre and post workout.

I would wait to cycle til you have your bf down too or else it will be a waste of cycle.

What's your lifting regime look like? Can/do you do fasted cardio?

BTW, was I 2nd choice?

[fightingirish23]

Haha, no you were not the second choice, but I saw a thread with both of you helping out this goofball kid who kept posting multiple threads at once with a diet and he had no appreciation and wanted everyone to do the work/recipes for him. So I tried to hit up both of you. So yea I guess I should wait to get down to the 10-15% bf range before starting my cycle, makes sense. I was just thinking of doing it to help with my strength gains and recovery time because after not lifting for quit some time I am pretty weak compared to how I used to be.

I try to switch it up frequently when it comes to my lifting regime, I'll normally do 2 weeks of single day body part lifting i.e. chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs ect...Mon-Fri. Then I'll switch it up for another 2 weeks doing full body circuit workouts Mon-Wed-Fri with very little recovery time between sets.

And what did you mean...."Can/do you do fasted cardio?" You mean can I do more cardio, or less cardio? My cardio is pretty legit, like I said I normally run 3-5 miles per day at around 6:30 min/mile, then 10-15 min on stair machine doing intervals, then swim 60-80 laps in the pool at an aerobic pace (sometimes swim intervals as well). Given the amount of cardio I normally do you would think I'd be a lot leaner but like I said my diet has been absolute shit since my last tri which was in Sept. So as the saying goes, you are what you eat!!

I'm trying to figure out a good calorie intake per day for me, I'm thinking maybe following the thread you posted and starting at around 2,000 and seeing where that takes me and how that goes. In regards to the carb intake, sometimes I will do my lifting and cardio during the day then at night do my MMA training i.e. BJJ or Muay Thai for an hr and a half, so should I add a little carbs to meals before and after that training, or should I just suck it up until my bf gets down into the low teens? I'm going to pre cook all my meals this Sunday and have everything assorted in plastic containers for the whole week so that should help out a lot.

Thanks for your help, much appreciated,

fightingirish23

[fightingirish23]

And yea I do have pretty lean muscle, all my fat looks to be mid section and love handles, my legs/arms/chest area all still very ripped and solid and you can see my uppper 2 abs, lol...but that's about it. Last summer I had vains popping out of my lower ab area, so it's pretty depressing comparing photos of myself now and 8 months ago. I'm sure not lifting has a lot to do with my metabolism slowing down which is why I'm very excited to get back to getting my strength and tone back.

[Back In Black]

I meant can you do your cardio before you eat breakfast. It's no biggie if not mate, I see now how much you do.

Endurance athletes do have a greater need for carbs and, if you are training twice a day we need to work out the best approach. You need to fuel your cardio and recover too, so too low carbs isn't gonna work really. It also means I think 2000cals will be insufficient.

So (and I forgot to aske what time of day you lift/cardio) go with

50g carbs and protein and 10g fat in your breakfast and also pre and post lifting/cardio meals

Assuming you eat another 3 times then make those meals consist of 50g protein, 10g fat and carbs just from fibrous and cruciferous veggies.

Then, on days that you also do MMA I would add 30-40g carbs to your pre and post workout meals. These meals will be 2 of the 3 non carb meals on non MMA days.

Does that make sense? If not just put something together based on 3 carb meals and 3 non carb meals and we'll go from there.

ANd I don't really mind being second choice. I taught 405 everything he used to know. ANd know he has a unquenchable thirst for nutrition knowledge!

Oh, and that kid still hasn't posted a diet yet!

[fightingirish23]

Well I would generally lift/cardio from 12-2:30 in the afternoon, then on MMA days I train from 7-8:30 at night time. I just did some research on fasted cardio and I think I'm going to try it. I will wake up around 6 go do my run and do the rest of cardio after I lift, and on MMA days just do the run in the morning and get the rest of my cardio doing MMA so it won't be too much. So I will have 2 sessions of cardio per day (3 may be too much). And I was also reading about taking BCAA's before doing the fasted cardio, what are your thoughts on that and do you recommend a certain brand and/or pill powder? It seems there's mixed feelings on taking them and not having to take them for cardio first thing in the AM.

I used to just take a cliff bar before MMA and sometimes just before regular gym time, but I'm guessing you would say way too short on the protein compared to the amount of carbs loaded in the bar. 6g of fat, 41g carbs, 11g of protein............and 21g of sugar!!! wow i actually never looked at the sugar level, holy shit that's a lot!!! Guess theres my answer, lol.

[Back In Black]

Ha, yeah that's the answer you were after. Don't like protein bars, way too much crap in them. If you want one make your own.

BCAA's I take before fasted cardio, I highly recommend you do too. Normally anything other than low intensity cardio before breakfast is frowned upon. When you get down to 15% or below we can review what you do in the fasted state. For now, go for your run!

My BCAA's come from My Protein. They are a 2.1.1 ratio. I normally buy extra leucine to make it uo to 4.1.1 but that's just me!

[fightingirish23]

I'm guessing it's frowned upon because of muscle loss? Okay well I have a basic grasp on what I need to do, once I go shopping on Sunday I will post up my menu for the week, and if you feel I should add/remove anything please chime in. I'm prob going to be buying a boatload of organic chicken breasts, frozen veggies (mostly broc and aspar.) and brown rice for my complex carbs. I know some people really frown on dairy but whats your take on fat and sugar free greek yogurt? With maybe a few walnuts tossed in for the fat? I love walnuts and read they are one of the best types of fats you can eat, along with olive oil.

[tall76]

Get rid of deli meats, and any cliff bars or other processed foods. You need protein source with every meal (ur current first meal has very little). Use real food over protein shakes whenever possible. Take some time and actually calculate how much protein/carbs/ fats you need and then design a diet that fits those needs. This way you can make adjustments up or down and see what works for you

[Back In Black]

Or you could just do what you were doing in setting up a new diet anyway!

[Back In Black]

I haven't seer fat AND sugar free Greek yoghurt, that makes it just protein? Walnuts are, arguably, the best nuts you can have. I only supplement my fats with fish oils an pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

[fightingirish23]

BMR=2,142

TDEE=3,320

So I'm guessing I'll start at 2,800 calories and see where that gets me. I really think I'm gonna shed some serious lbs by just cutting out all the carbs and junk bars and stuff. I currently use Probolic-SR, 12 hour muscle feeder....cals-140, fat 4g, Carbs 5g, Protein 20g......I usually would have shake 1-2 times a day, depending how I was feeling. Any thoughts on Probolic vs. whey or casein?? Looks like it has more aminos.

and yes you're right, it's low sugar fat free greek....7g of sugar!!!

[fightingirish23]

New Diet

Protein Carbs Fat Calories

7:00am-Fasted Cardio, BCAA's

8:30am Breakfast
4oz Organic Chicken Breast-26 0 1 110
3/4 Cup Brown Rice-6 49 1 150
1/2 Cup Steamed Broccoli-1 4 0 40
2 Hard Boiled Eggs-12 2 9 140
1/4 Cup Walnuts- 5 4 20 200

Pre-Workout- 10:30am
4oz Organic Chicken Breast-26 0 1 110
3/4 Cup Brown Rice-6 49 1 150
1/2 Cup Steamed Broccoli-1 4 0 40
2 Hard Boiled Eggs-12 2 9 140
1/4 Cup Walnuts- 5 4 20 200

Post Workout 12:30
4oz Chicken Brest- 26 0 1 110
2oz Whole Wheat Spaghetti- 7 41 1 210
1/4 Cup Steamed Broccoli- 1 4 1 40
Protein Shake
Skim Milk- 12 8 0 70
Blend- 20 5 4 140

Meal 4- 3:30pm
4oz Chicken Breast- 26 0 1 110
1/4 Cup Steamed Broccoli- 1 4 1 40
3 Hard Broiled Eggs- 18 3 13 210
7 Spears Asparagus- 2 3 0 20

Dinner- 6:30pm
4oz Chicken Breast- 26 0 1 110
1/4 Cup Steamed Broccoli- 1 4 1 40
3 Hard Broiled Eggs- 18 3 13 210
7 Spears Asparagus- 2 3 0 20


Meal 6- 9:30pm
Protein Shake
Milk- 12 8 0 70
Blend- 20 5 4 140
2 Hard Broiled Eggs- 12 2 9 140

Total= 257, 201, 68, 2480

Well this looks like a little better then my last diet, so any critique would be appreciated, thanks!!!

fightingirish23

[Back In Black]

bumping for me to look at later, you aren't forgotten!

But isn't your fat count 112 or so rather than 68?

[fightingirish23]

Yes I apologize, on my paper log, I only used about 1/4 of the walnuts, but figured I prob wasn't getting enough fat so I upped it. This is my 3rd day in and the toughest thing I must say is the fasted cardio!!! I'm doing 20 min on the stair machine at 100 steps per min, and then 20 min on eliptical doing intervals at level 12. After I'm done I'm most definately ready to vomit because I'm so hungry. But when I'm lifting, I have such a better pump and energy. And I checked my bf% yesterday and I'm at 18%. But it's with one of those hand held ones so I know they are not totally accurate. I will post some pics up today and some throughout my progress. I'm hoping to run this diet till Memorial Day, then start the cycle I was mentioning. I also think I may sub out some chicken for fish or lean red meat after a week or two, I can see how this would get extremely boring to some eating chicken all day everyday.

[Back In Black]

Can you adjust the macro's accordingly please.

Also, that's alot of saturated fats in th eegg yolks, we need to do something about that.

When is memorial day?

[fightingirish23]

What exactly to you mean in regards to the macro's??

Okay so maybe i'll add one egg to every meal and only eat one yolk as opposed to 2-3, and just eat the whites for the other ones. I'm thinking next week I'll buy the liquid egg whites and use that instead.

Memorial day is the last Monday in May....(I keep forgetting you're not from here, lol) thanks mate!!!

[Back In Black]

Macro(nutrients) are carbs, pro and fat.

No more than 10-12g of fat in any carb laden meal.

[fightingirish23]

Okay, gotcha, so i will spread the walnuts out more through other meals and cut down on the egg yolks and I will make it work out to no more then 10g of fat per meal. I weighed myself today and put on 2lbs!! It's prob cause I'm eating more, (I hope).

[sgt2jay]

Hey fighting im not a diet expert at all.

i just want to add a comment on SteM and how i like his approach to helping with i diet. He was nice enough to help with mine as well, and you will notice he doesnt tell you exactly what food to eat but what nutrients to add and where to add them. I spent many frustrating hours with a pen paper and calculator and got to a point of saying hell this has to be good enough. my 2 cents keep with it it not only did i learn a ton but i can tell you gram for gram ounce for ounce exactly what i eat daily from memory. i think that is whats key for me it is consistant and easy to follow.

i a round about way this is a thanks to SteM. Ya helpede a ton. Soory i Hijacked your thread.

[fightingirish23]

haha, no problem bro. That's why i referred earlier in the thread to a certain "GOOFBALL" who stem and 405 were both helping out and the kid showed no appreciation and practically wanted a menu written out and everything done for him. At that point Stem and 405 might as well went to his house cooked all his meals and spoon fed the freaking kid!!!lol. I know this is a science and perfection is the key to obtaining your goals. I've already learned a lot from these threads and feel I'm getting more knowledgeable by the day. There's some very smart individuals on this forum. I've never in my life weighed out food portions ect, I always said with the cardio I do this is good enough, but now I wanna take it to the next level.

[sgt2jay]

i hear ya good luck getting there