Undecided diet approach

[human project]

I plan to compete in a bodybuilding competition mid march and can't decide how to plan my diet approach. Should i start my diet as a bulk, cut, lean bulk??? I've been dieting for 4wks. Lost over 10lbs and less then 2%bf but I was holding a TON of water.
Current stats 6'2 255lbs under 12% bf "will post pics tonight"

[digsy1983]

It may ultimately depend on where you are now and where you want to be. Are you aiming for a specific BF% or weight?

You may be better asking this question in the bodybuilding section, as people there will have 1st hand experience. Then when you get your answer, post back here if you need any assistance.
Good luck!

[human project]

It may ultimately depend on where you are now and where you want to be. Are you aiming for a specific BF% or weight?

You may be better asking this question in the bodybuilding section, as people there will have 1st hand experience. Then when you get your answer, post back here if you need any assistance.
Good luck!

Will do. Thanks for the info bro.

[mockery]

ur height might suck as guys 5'9 will come in at 215 4% bf and crush you. u would need to be 225-240 stage weight , but i imagine you probably need to diet down 40 lbs so this could be a problem.

if its yor first show plan to diet down for 16 weeks. so just bulk till then but eat clean .

[digsy1983]

It depends on your goals as to how you set up your diet. You've got to decide if you want to either;

add mass then cut down body fat.
Cut down bodyfat then add mass

When you decide how you want to approach your goal then people can help/advise you on your diet plan. But nobody can decide what course of action you need to take.

I mentioned going into the bodybuilding forum to see if what approach was best from.their experience. Did you get any advice?

[human project]

It depends on your goals as to how you set up your diet. You've got to decide if you want to either;

add mass then cut down body fat.
Cut down bodyfat then add mass

When you decide how you want to approach your goal then people can help/advise you on your diet plan. But nobody can decide what course of action you need to take.

I mentioned going into the bodybuilding forum to see if what approach was best from.their experience. Did you get any advice?

I just got bf tested yesterday and I was 249.6lbs at 9.9%bf. Here are my measurements over the past 7wks

[human project]

I just got bf tested yesterday and I was 249.6lbs at 9.9%bf. Here are my measurements over the past 7wks

[human project]

My bodyfat fluctuation is kinda crazy I know but the only thing I can attribute it to is my estrogen level got out of control there for a couple weeks and i retained a bunch of water which might of thrown off the calipers on my second test. My estrogen still is not in check but is much better.

[RaginCajun]

nice progress!!!!!!!!!

[human project]

I just got bf tested yesterday and I was 249.6lbs at 9.9%bf. Here are my measurements over the past 7wks

I did go to the bodybuilding fourm and re posted this thread. I think my coarse of action is between all out bulk "hitting 5000-5500 cals" or a lean bulk "4000-4200 cals".. I really need help with setting up actual foods and hitting actual macros.

I don't weigh out my food currently but I do eat about the exact same foods mon-fri. Weekends are cheat days. Mon-fri I currently eat 9 whole eggs, 3lbs "beef,chicken,tilapia" 1lb potatoes, 2 pieces of cheese, 2-4cups of skim milk, 2 cups uncooked rice, 4tbs peanut butter, 1 cup oats

[digsy1983]

At 249lbs and 10% that gives you roughly 225lbs of LBM.

I'm not that experienced or educated in nutrition and weightloss (I'm trying to learn as much as possible) but seems in my.opinion that you need to cut rather than bulk. But at 9.9% bodyfat a standard calorie deficit diet will probably just burn too much muscle over fat.
Carb cycling maybe a good approach to take as you shouldn't lose too much , if any muscle. Don't know if you've heard of Lyle McDonald? His got a website.

But I'd wait and see what the expert recommended.

If you decide to go down the carb cycling rout, private message me and I'll send on some info I have on it!

[digsy1983]

What is your target weight and also bodyfat range for this comp?

[human project]

What is your target weight and also bodyfat range for this comp?

I think I'm going to try and break into heavyweight so 224lbs at 3%bf. I still have about 18wks left and I can get to 7% within a month even if I get back up to 12+%bf. From 7 to 3% I burn soooo much weight and size. I was thinking bulk for 4-6 then lean bulk 4wks then cut hard... Any thoughts.. Nothing is anywhere near decided as of yet.

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

I did go to the bodybuilding fourm and re posted this thread. I think my coarse of action is between all out bulk "hitting 5000-5500 cals" or a lean bulk "4000-4200 cals".. I really need help with setting up actual foods and hitting actual macros.

I don't weigh out my food currently but I do eat about the exact same foods mon-fri. Weekends are cheat days. Mon-fri I currently eat 9 whole eggs, 3lbs "beef,chicken,tilapia" 1lb potatoes, 2 pieces of cheese, 2-4cups of skim milk, 2 cups uncooked rice, 4tbs peanut butter, 1 cup oats

in what capacity do u need help with a bulking diet (food set-up and macros)? a dude with ur stats should know how to do it already. how did u get to where u are now without knowing?

[digsy1983]

Bulk, lean bulk then cut sounds like a plan!

But you need to measure your food either way! :-) setting up a dietplan/macros is taxing at the beginning but once the initial set up is done its just a case of measuring your food and following it.

Your macros split depends on how well you handle carbs. If you handle carbs really well (high carbs without piling on fat) a 40/40/20 split could be beneficial. (probably the preferred split for bulking on this site)

If you read the stickies at the top of the nutrition section, all the info on food choices and reasons why are in there. Only you know what you like.

Just set a calorie limit either for a all it bulk or lean bulk. Then split that number by your macros split. Then patch in the food you like eating to the split. It's a bit of a puzzle at the start but you'll get there.
Any more info you need just post up and people will answer.

Good luck man!

[human project]

in what capacity do u need help with a bulking diet (food set-up and macros)? a dude with ur stats should know how to do it already. how did u get to where u are now without knowing?

Well truthfully other then a short 6 month period of time when I had a nutritionist I never really have a set diet plan. Sure i watch everything i put in my body but really all i do is I always make sure to break 500g of protein; other then that I just eat healthy. I only eat 4 types of carbs... Oatmeal, rice, potatoes, pasta. Other then that mostly beef and eggs. I want to actually start weighing my food and having a specific diet plan so I can see where my gains come from.

[human project]

Bulk, lean bulk then cut sounds like a plan!

But you need to measure your food either way! :-) setting up a dietplan/macros is taxing at the beginning but once the initial set up is done its just a case of measuring your food and following it.

Your macros split depends on how well you handle carbs. If you handle carbs really well (high carbs without piling on fat) a 40/40/20 split could be beneficial. (probably the preferred split for bulking on this site)

If you read the stickies at the top of the nutrition section, all the info on food choices and reasons why are in there. Only you know what you like.

Just set a calorie limit either for a all it bulk or lean bulk. Then split that number by your macros split. Then patch in the food you like eating to the split. It's a bit of a puzzle at the start but you'll get there.
Any more info you need just post up and people will answer.

Good luck man!

Thanks man... Bulk it is to start... Ill get a game plan together tonight for exact meals and post in the am. Leme know what you think, I'm sure it will be a little rough in the beginning.

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

Well truthfully other then a short 6 month period of time when I had a nutritionist I never really have a set diet plan. Sure i watch everything i put in my body but really all i do is I always make sure to break 500g of protein; other then that I just eat healthy. I only eat 4 types of carbs... Oatmeal, rice, potatoes, pasta. Other then that mostly beef and eggs. I want to actually start weighing my food and having a specific diet plan so I can see where my gains come from.

well shoot dude based on ur avi and stats i dont see where its been a problem..

[human project]

well shoot dude based on ur avi and stats i dont see where its been a problem..

I just want to dial in and see if there are any drastic improvements. Everyone talks about how having an exact diet yields much better results. Well see tho I already eat very well on a daily basis

[human project]

How does this look? This is only a mon through Friday regime. Weekends are cheat days

***"I also eat dinner with my family 1-2 times a week where I eat whatever I want"****

Meal 1: 8:00am
5 whole eggs
1 cup skim milk
1 cup oatmeal
1 fruit

Meal 2: 10:00am
.5lb potato
.5lb beef
3 eggs

Meal 3: 12:00pm
.5 cup grits
5 eggs
1 cup skim milk

Work out 1:30

Meal 4: PWO shake 78g whey protein 72g of sugar 8ius slin

Meal 5 After 45min
5 eggs
26g whey protein
1 cup grits
1 teaspoon honey

Meal 6
.5lb fish or chicken
1 cup grits

Meal 7 After 45 min
52g whey protein
1 cup oats
1 teaspoon honey

Meal 8 5-6pm Dinner
1 cup uncooked rice
.5lb chicken

Meal 9 8-9pm
.5lb fish
1 cup grits

Meal 10Before bed
52g protein
2 cups skim milk

[digsy1983]

You're going to need to add the daily macros and calories. (from a quick fat totals from your eggs it looks to be roughly 35/35/30 split, that's just a quick guess tho)
If you know exactly who much and of what you are eating you can make minor tweaks easily and be able predict the outcome and trend it more accurately.

For your lbm (225lbs) your maintenance cals is somewhere close to 3400 cals. So add extra for bulking, and if you've set 4000 calories or there abouts, that's roughly 600 cals above maintenance. If you feel you're gaining too much unwanted bodyfat you can drop the cals down.

Food choices look good. Normally the fats are saved for later in the day, but if this is how you prefer it, it obviously seems to work for you with your stats.

There's a.stickie about food macros, that will explain how to work it out. Shoukdnt need to do too much to your food choices, maybe just find out what they equate to.

Any questions just post up!

[mockery]

How does this look? This is only a mon through Friday regime. Weekends are cheat days

***"I also eat dinner with my family 1-2 times a week where I eat whatever I want"****

Meal 1: 8:00am
5 whole eggs
1 cup skim milk
1 cup oatmeal
1 fruit

Meal 2: 10:00am
.5lb potato
.5lb beef
3 eggs

Meal 3: 12:00pm
.5 cup grits
5 eggs
1 cup skim milk

Work out 1:30

Meal 4: PWO shake 78g whey protein 72g of sugar 8ius slin

Meal 5 After 45min
5 eggs
26g whey protein
1 cup grits
1 teaspoon honey

Meal 6
.5lb fish or chicken
1 cup grits

Meal 7 After 45 min
52g whey protein
1 cup oats
1 teaspoon honey

Meal 8 5-6pm Dinner
1 cup uncooked rice
.5lb chicken

Meal 9 8-9pm
.5lb fish
1 cup grits

Meal 10Before bed
52g protein
2 cups skim milk

why so many shakes? and ill probaly avoiding eating that last meal #10. give your hormones aprox 2 hours before bed to relax and let your digestive system rest when you rest. You wont lose muscle mass over night and if your blood sugar is still not stable with it aprox 90 minutes of sleeping your growth hormone pulse will be wasted.

[mockery]

how many weeks are you leaving yourself to do pre show prep? how many shows have you done??

[human project]

if your blood sugar is still not stable with it aprox 90 minutes of sleeping your growth hormone pulse will be wasted.

Why do most people take insluin with there hgh?

[human project]

how many weeks are you leaving yourself to do pre show prep? how many shows have you done??

I've trained for two shows but did not end up competing in either bc I couldn't get my bf low enough. The first i made it to 6.2% and the second 5.8. I also lost so much muscle between 7 and 5%. I don't know how long to plan for my diet. I get to 7% bf almost instantly. With one month of very clean eating I'm usually in the low 7% range. Low cal and low carb diets are terrible for my muscle mass. I think this time when I cut I'm still going to keep my carbs around 500g.

[human project]

Normally the fats are saved for later in the day, but if this is how you prefer it, it obviously seems to work for you with your stats. "I'm on Insluin and usually workout late afternoon so I try to get all my fat before then.


Any questions just post up![/QUOTE]

Thanks for all your help man.

[gearbox]

why so many shakes? and ill probaly avoiding eating that last meal #10. give your hormones aprox 2 hours before bed to relax and let your digestive system rest when you rest. You wont lose muscle mass over night and if your blood sugar is still not stable with it aprox 90 minutes of sleeping your growth hormone pulse will be wasted.

Where can I read more about growth hormone being wasted if I do not stablize blood sugar 90 mins before sleep.

[mockery]

Where can I read more about growth hormone being wasted if I do not stablize blood sugar 90 mins before sleep.

Grab any medical text that talks about Somatostatin

Is a peptide produced by several tissues in the body, including the hypothalamus. Somatostatin inhibits growth hormone release in response to GHRH and to other stimulatory factors such as low blood glucose concentration.

From my studies our GH pulse when sleeping is approx 90 minutes. IF we are eating before bed our blood sugar can raise and then crash or become "lower"

Its not healthy for our digestive system to be operating while we are asleep. So give it ample time to do its thing before bed.

[mockery]

And that can be misread what i typed, not 90 prior to sleep. 90 minutes into sleeping. (when you are asleep)

[mockery]

Why do most people take insluin with there hgh?

most people do not take insulin with hgh. But rather take hgh with insulin. ( ex: im doing hgh, i dont need insulin. ex2: im running Insulin. i should be using hgh.)

You will amplify the anabolic effects greatly by using insulin with GH, just by increased igf-1 conversion in the liver, and improved nutrient delivery to the muscles.

ask anyone on slin, how important blood sugar management is.

[human project]

Bump.....

[digsy1983]

Hey HP!

Have you figured out your daily macros and set up of your food plan?

[human project]

Hey HP!

Have you figured out your daily macros and set up of your food plan?

No, my appetite has been so up and down that in order to gain any weight I've just been cramming as much food in my mouth as I can. I'm going to order some ghrp to get my appetite more regular. Do you have any ideas? My bulk last year was 3lbs of potatoes 3lbs of meat "add 2 oz for every lb if fish" 18 eggs, 1 cup oatmeal, 4tbs of peanut butter, 4-6 cups of skim milk. I'm thinking about the same but maybe switching some potatoes for rice. I seem to do rewlly well with rice.

[digsy1983]

No, my appetite has been so up and down that in order to gain any weight I've just been cramming as much food in my mouth as I can. I'm going to order some ghrp to get my appetite more regular. Do you have any ideas? My bulk last year was 3lbs of potatoes 3lbs of meat "add 2 oz for every lb if fish" 18 eggs, 1 cup oatmeal, 4tbs of peanut butter, 4-6 cups of skim milk. I'm thinking about the same but maybe switching some potatoes for rice. I seem to do rewlly well with rice.

the description doesnt really mean much without the macros figures of it, and also how much above your TDEE it was.

as for you appetite, if your eating an unset amount your metabolism is going to be all over the place. you need to eat a set amount and over the course of a couple of day your metabolism will level out and your body will acclimatise to eating that amount of food. it will just be a couple of days of feelings of hunger, or forcing food in when you are full.
im almost sure that after 4(ish) days of overfeeding your body adapts that that amount, its expanding the amount it can eat and store due to it thinking that food is readily available. its the survival mechanism wanting to store as much fat as it possibly can. i think (if i rememebr rightly) the hormone 'leptin' plays a major role in this. a controlled diet is always better than eating instinctively. IMO.

does ghrp not increase appetite?

[human project]

the description doesnt really mean much without the macros figures of it, and also how much above your TDEE it was.

as for you appetite, if your eating an unset amount your metabolism is going to be all over the place. you need to eat a set amount and over the course of a couple of day your metabolism will level out and your body will acclimatise to eating that amount of food. it will just be a couple of days of feelings of hunger, or forcing food in when you are full.
im almost sure that after 4(ish) days of overfeeding your body adapts that that amount, its expanding the amount it can eat and store due to it thinking that food is readily available. its the survival mechanism wanting to store as much fat as it possibly can. i think (if i rememebr rightly) the hormone 'leptin' plays a major role in this. a controlled diet is always better than eating instinctively. IMO.

does ghrp not increase appetite?

No it does increase my appetite. That's really the obly reason why I take it. I take hgh for growth hormone , I take ghrp before meals when I'm not hungry but i need to eat.

How do I figure out how many cals exactly I need??

[digsy1983]

You're going to need to add the daily macros and calories. (from a quick fat totals from your eggs it looks to be roughly 35/35/30 split, that's just a quick guess tho)
If you know exactly who much and of what you are eating you can make minor tweaks easily and be able predict the outcome and trend it more accurately.

For your lbm (225lbs) your maintenance cals is somewhere close to 3400 cals. So add extra for bulking, and if you've set 4000 calories or there abouts, that's roughly 600 cals above maintenance. If you feel you're gaining too much unwanted bodyfat you can drop the cals down.

Food choices look good. Normally the fats are saved for later in the day, but if this is how you prefer it, it obviously seems to work for you with your stats.

There's a.stickie about food macros, that will explain how to work it out. Shoukdnt need to do too much to your food choices, maybe just find out what they equate to.

Any questions just post up!

you mentioned you were 249lbs and 10% that gives you roughly 225lbs of LBM
LBM x 15 = maintenance calories ( a general rule of thumb)
225 x 15 = 3375 cals.

so add extra cals for bulking. (normally about 500 cals) = 3875 cals. a rough starting figure. any new diet will probably need slightly tweaked either more or less cals depending on gains, too much fat gain reduce cals slightly. not enough muscle gain increase cals, or review the macros split.

[human project]

I will get my bf and weight measured tomorrow. I've went back on insluin and hgh the past two weeks and I'm back over 260. I'm sure I'm back over 12%bf as well but well see exactly tomorrow.

Should I start with exact calories at the same time every day or should I do a carb cycle? I also do a fair amount of cardio so that will need to be factored in as well.

[digsy1983]

think the straight bulk or carb cycle is your call really mate, what you feel will suit you best. the cycle will need a bit more organising and setting up, not hard to do tho, just a bit more involved than the straight bulk.

yeah cardio will need to be factored in. what kind of cardio do you do, and how often? not that it matter really, cardio is cardio. just interested in how you approach cardio.

[human project]

think the straight bulk or carb cycle is your call really mate, what you feel will suit you best. the cycle will need a bit more organising and setting up, not hard to do tho, just a bit more involved than the straight bulk.

yeah cardio will need to be factored in. what kind of cardio do you do, and how often? not that it matter really, cardio is cardio. just interested in how you approach cardio.

I walk 3-5miles with my prego gf 3-4 times a week so at a very slow pace. Then about 2-3 times a week I jog a 2.25 mile trail that is very hilly and very rough terrain. I also do electrical for 20-30 min three times a week before my push pull and leg workouts.

[human project]