Non Workout Day Diet

[Wolv256]

Ok, I think I know the answer, but just want confirmation. We know you can't workout everyday because you need some rest/days off. However, on rest days you don't alter your diet from workout days, right (assuming you're training hard other days, this is just a rest day, not a vacation from working out). You still want to maintain your caloric level and high protein level and all as you would whether bulking or cutting as if you had worked out that day, since while you're "resting" what you are really doing is "recovering" and building back up. Does that sound right or does anyone scale back their eating on off days? I just started following the boards nutrition guidelines and it's hard to eat that much and feels a little strange to eat that much while just sitting around, even though I do legimately feel my metabolism raising in a short time of eating this way. Although, I now poop like crazy.

[jg2243]

I keep my macro intake the same everyday ... Unless I'm carb cycling...I don't eat less on off days ... Your body needs that food to grow and repair its self...

[Turkish Juicer]

I typically lower my carbs and increase my fats on rest days, in order to be able to hit my TDEE.

The reasoning behind why I lower my carbs on rest days is simple: my body does NOT need as much glucose on rest days and more importantly, it is not a wise thing to maintain a high level of blood sugar throughout the day especially if you are rather concerned about being able to burn some BF in between meals.

[gbrice75]

It really depends on what your goal is and what your approach to said goal will be.

For instance, while cutting, I had 1 rest day (no cardio, no weight training). That day was my highest carb day. Seems counter intuitive, right? Why have high carbs on the day where I have the least activity? Simple. On the days prior, I had NO carbs and was working out - glycogen depelting, total body workouts. If I were to consume carbs on those days, I wouldn't be depleting glycogen stores - i'd be topping them off. The rest day is a carb refeed - a day to completely restore glycogen. If I were to workout on this day, I wouldn't be completely restoring glycogen as i'd burn some up during my workout and/or cardio session.

On the flip side, while lean bulking I had higher carbs on my workout days, and lower on my rest days. Glycogen depletion wasn't the goal, but keeping fat gains minimal was a concern, so we lower carbs on non-workout days.

I hope I haven't confused things further, lol!

[--->>405<<---]

Personally so far since ending my cut i eat the same amt everyday.. No probs.. Tdee is a weekly expenditure..

[Wolv256]

Well, yeah. I guess you wouldn't need postworkout carbs, because there was no workout. But, your TDEE would be the same. Makes sense.

[gbrice75]

Personally so far since ending my cut i eat the same amt everyday.. No probs.. Tdee is a weekly expenditure..

Not really. TDEE is no more a weekly expenditure than it is a 24 hour expenditure. Actually, based on the acronym it's a daily expenditure, however it doesn't really matter in either case. Both are nothing more than crude methods to track results.

Anabolism and Catabolism are endless processes that happen all throughout the day and night... there is no beginning or end (conception and death aside). Yes, after a week's time we can say we made net XX gain or loss... but we can do the same for 24 hours... or 6 months. It really doesn't matter - what does matter is that in the big picture (whatever that may be for you - 3 months, 6 months, a year, etc) you are progressing slowly in the direction you are working towards.

[--->>405<<---]

^^ statement made based on the fact TDEE takes into account for activity level multiplier how many days per week u lift and/or do cardio or other form of exercise.. seems it would factor in total weekly cals then average them out for each day..?? maybe i shouldve said: tdee is a daily expenditure based on an activity level multiplier which takes into account total weekly activity..