** The ASK GB ANYTHING thread (diet/nutrition related) **

[hell911]

alright, i will go with 127g of protein for 1 month, then 160g of protein on 2nd month, will compare the results.

but my carbs, calories, etc.. will remain same for 2 months. (if possible, if not, almost similar)

[Nij]

In terms of cutting, when should one do a keto diet compared to just a straight-up caloric deficit?

[gbrice75]

alright, i will go with 127g of protein for 1 month, then 160g of protein on 2nd month, will compare the results.

but my carbs, calories, etc.. will remain same for 2 months. (if possible, if not, almost similar)

I'm willing to bet you'll see no appreciable difference whatsoever if you're consistent with this plan..

In terms of cutting, when should one do a keto diet compared to just a straight-up caloric deficit?

There's no right or wrong answer here, that decision would be completely up to the dieter. You don't ever *have* to run a keto diet, but even if you did, you'd still want to maintain a caloric deficit. Keto dieting doesn't automatically yield fat loss; if you're consuming too much dietary fat you'll still store it, so the questoin really becomes 'is a keto diet for you?'

The answer can only be revealed by experimenting on oneself. Some people respond extraordinarily well to low/no carb dieting, others do not. I am actually considering a keto diet myself. I've run 2 (unsuccessful) in the past but think I've learned from my mistakes and can make it work this time.

[Tron3219]

I agree with gb here. 30g of protein will do no harm. And you won't see a difference between the two. I'd worry less about this and ur comparison and more about staying consistent and training.

[hell911]

do i need to eat 1 fruit and small amount of broccoli everyday? does it help my body any other way other than calories intake?

[gbrice75]

do i need to eat 1 fruit and small amount of broccoli everyday?

No.

does it help my body any other way other than calories intake?

Aside from the obvious (vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytonutrients,etc.), read both articles below, then research further how they relate to eachother.

Antioxidant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Radical (chemistry) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[hell911]

^
tnx ..

can u comment on my topic.. http://forums.steroid.com/nutrition-...me-modify.html

[AD]

hi GB, thanks for your answers and your patience in your pm.

this is the reference i told you about, from Textbook of Medical Physiology 11th Edition by Arthur C Guyton and John E Hall.

the passage that i would like to highlight is:

Recovery of Muscle Glycogen
Recovery from exhaustive muscle glycogen depletion is not a simple matter. This often requires days, rather than seconds, minutes, or hours required for recovery of the phosphagen and lactic acid metabolic systems....

...Note that on a high carbohydrate diet, full recovery occurs in about two days.


this is illustrated in figure 84-3.


like i said, it's an old textbook, the latest is the 12th edition.

If this statement is accurate, then it takes 2 full days of high carb diet to fully replenish stores, and not just one or 2 meals.

With regards to liver glycogen, which will be needed to supply the muscles with glucose via gluconeogenesis when muscle glycogen decreases during exercise, I would expect this to be lower too for someone on a hypocaloric diet.

In practical terms, when we go to the gym, we all train to our last breadth, whether bulking or cutting. But in theory, I believe there are differences in our limits.

[stomata]

Stats: 210
B.F : 19-20%
Age: 24

Trying to lose body fat! my current low carb cycling diet, this is how i plan on cycling my carbs.. please help!!

Sunday: low carbs (shoulders, calves, cardio) 0-60g
Monday: low carbs (back, abs) 0-60g
Tuesday:High carbs (Leg day) 250g
Wednesday: (off day) 0-60g carbs
Thursday: low carb day (chest day) 0-60g
Friday: High carb day (arms) 250g
Saturday: rest day 0-60g
Repeat

[mockery]

hi GB, thanks for your answers and your patience in your pm.

this is the reference i told you about, from Textbook of Medical Physiology 11th Edition by Arthur C Guyton and John E Hall.

the passage that i would like to highlight is:

Recovery of Muscle Glycogen
Recovery from exhaustive muscle glycogen depletion is not a simple matter. This often requires days, rather than seconds, minutes, or hours required for recovery of the phosphagen and lactic acid metabolic systems....

...Note that on a high carbohydrate diet, full recovery occurs in about two days.


this is illustrated in figure 84-3.


like i said, it's an old textbook, the latest is the 12th edition.

If this statement is accurate, then it takes 2 full days of high carb diet to fully replenish stores, and not just one or 2 meals.

With regards to liver glycogen, which will be needed to supply the muscles with glucose via gluconeogenesis when muscle glycogen decreases during exercise, I would expect this to be lower too for someone on a hypocaloric diet.

In practical terms, when we go to the gym, we all train to our last breadth, whether bulking or cutting. But in theory, I believe there are differences in our limits.

This is correct, people on low cho diets cant come out of a depletion in hours or 1 day with a high cho day and with 1 refeed. Re feeding after 3 day low cho /depletion resitance training would take 3-4 days to replenish. Its a good reason why so many people dieting down dont look good or feel small. I bought into the levels were replenished in about 5 hours. and i paid the price for this through getting sick and losing alot of FFM in a short cut.

[YakuzaElite]

I am interested in cutting. I am 5'7, 155 pounds. work out 5 days a week. My RMR + calories burned at the gym is around 2200 calories a day and I am eating about 100 grams of protein, 150 grams of carbs, and 45 grams of fat a day. total calories i am eating is around 1650. shout I eat more? readjust my macros? If i do eat more, should up more protien or carbs? I've been told to eat 3000 calories for starters. I was originally 250 pounds but I lost a 100 pounds and started lifting weights last february. I have no protein shake in my diet. my fats come from almonds, canola oil ( I fry my beef). beef (beef sirloin, beef chuck tender, beef eye round, beef out side steak) sometimes i have chicken breast but was told to have more. carbs are brown rice only.

btw, is 12 reps for any weight exercise the golden rule for getting lean. some say i should do 10-12, others say 15 reps.

[Tank123]

hey gb i have a question regarding cutting. so iv been on a diet for the last 11 weeks this is my 12th week now. iv lost till now 9.5 kg(20.9 pounds). physique is looking much better however i realized i am behind schedule in my appearance because of the cheat days i was having.
anyway my question is right now my highest carb day in the week is 122.5 g of carbs a day wea i consume 50 grams of carbs in my pwo shake and then a carb containing meal roughly 60 g as well. as the week goes on i drop my carbs so the meals pwo become 50 and 40 g. i also have one refeed meal a week.
my question is in terms of fat loss would it be more ideal to have my carb meal pre workout and have my pwo shake with fast digesting carbs or should i keep it how its is which is my shake with glucose and then approx and hour and half later a carb meal thank you.

[UNICORN_KB]

hey GB , nice thread man .

so I'm 5'7" I was 211lb I lost 66lb so 145lb and then increase it to 156lb muscle . right now I eat a lot I eat every 2 hours but I track my macros as well trying to keep it 3000cal/d , as my bulking macros . I have couple of questions:


1- I was in very high carb high protein diet around 360-450g carbs and 250-300g protein and very low fat like 7-20g , I start become little bit fat and sure didn't gain muscle , so I switched it to low carbs 160-200g high protein 280-320g high fat 100-120g for like 2 month I got shredded little bit but I didn't gain weight so right now(since I'm trying to bulk) I'm at 200-260 carbs 200-260 protien 90-120 fat . what do you think ? (same amount macros 3000cal) and should I count all carbs or just net carb because I get like 50-60g of my carbs right now from fibers so for exaplme if I reach 250g carbs and 50g was fibers should I eat additional 50g to reach 250 net carbs ? .



2-should I eat what I burn in the gym ? like if I did 20mins cardio probably will burn 200+cal should I eat 3200cal that day ? should I also count what I burn from lifting ?.


3- I'm using casein right now too, is it worth it ?


4- I read that insulin without juicing will make you fat you will not gain muscle using it alone is that right ? i actually used it before I reached up to 12iu first thing in the morning and post workout it was Humulin r and before bed I took 4in hgh I think it was for 4 or 5 weeks but I wasn't in a proper diet I think I was way above 3000 cal that's why I gain more fat than muscle, especially after taking insulin shot I eat lots of sugar , simple and complex carbs to avoid Low Blood Sugar .


btw I'm a hard trainer person I used to workout 6 days but right now, day on day off so it's 4-5 days

thanks

[Enigma5772]

Stats:
Age 41
Height 5'7
Weight 165

With the calculations I did I came up with a bmr of 1664.7 and tdee of between 2280 and 2580 depending on how hard my work out is. Am I in the ballpark or not even close??????I'm currently cutting down at about 2150 calories and it seems to be working good.. 51gf 187gc 223gp ..... If my numbers are correct that shiuld be about a 350-450 cal deficit.. I'm VERRY strict with my diet 5 days a week and not so strict the other 2. (But never off the chart on those days)... No bread,pasta or dairy..... Small amount of fruit in the am with breakfast. I'm down about 15lb since December.

[UNICORN_KB]

so you are trying to lose weight ? what's wrong with dairy?

[Enigma5772]

I was looking to see if i figured my tdee the right way. I think I'm just about finished leaning out an I guess I was just looking to see if I did it the right way or if I could of done it a better way or quicker. I do feel like i lost alot of muscle during this time. Dairy has a lot of fat and I felt I was getting enough fat intake without it. Any opinions????

[UNICORN_KB]

since you said you cut down about 2150cal and you have 350-450 cal deficit I believe that's way you lost alot of muscle. I believe even your 2150 cal is low you can reach 2300-2500cal and get lean , you should increase your fat to about 80-100g since you cut down your carbs don't be afried of fat once you eat'em healthy , your protein are good you can go little bit higher also cuz you'er cutting down your carbs . I did the same thing 2 months ago fat 117-120 g carbs 175-188g protein 260-310g reaching 3000 cal/day I became leaner and shredded and my goal was to bulk hahah so right now I'm at the same macros but I increase carbs to 250-280g and fats I'm trying to cut it to 90-100g same way with protein trying to be below 280g since also this amount of carbs still low for me I never go above 25g fat for almost 2 and half year and I was eating around 320-380g carbs I noticed that I'm getting fatter with very slow gain in muscle once I increase my healthy fat intake little bit I got ok gains with intense cardio I got leaner , so right know I'm trying to figure out what will work better for bulking to me and for sure I'll keep fat intake high I might reduce it little bit depend on my carbs and protein if i decide to increase one of them. and right now I'm doing less cardio because I can't do it everyday hope in the summer I'll be able to do that , I'm not like those guys who says once you try to bulk never do any cardio ,, I don't wanna get fat for god sake , low intense cardio for 20-25mins daily or 5 times a week will not harm your gain , in fact it will make you eat more food which is awesome .

bottom line increase your healthy fat by 20-30g and try to reach your 2150 macros "which I think it's little bit low , except if you workout like 3 days a week ).

about Dairy way you don't yous fat free or low fat ? I thought you wanna cut down sugar or something in that way you can use lactose free low or free fat stuff

[>Good Luck<]

since you said you cut down about 2150cal and you have 350-450 cal deficit I believe that's way you lost alot of muscle. I believe even your 2150 cal is low you can reach 2300-2500cal and get lean , you should increase your fat to about 80-100g since you cut down your carbs don't be afried of fat once you eat'em healthy , your protein are good you can go little bit higher also cuz you'er cutting down your carbs . I did the same thing 2 months ago fat 117-120 g carbs 175-188g protein 260-310g reaching 3000 cal/day I became leaner and shredded and my goal was to bulk hahah so right now I'm at the same macros but I increase carbs to 250-280g and fats I'm trying to cut it to 90-100g same way with protein trying to be below 280g since also this amount of carbs still low for me I never go above 25g fat for almost 2 and half year and I was eating around 320-380g carbs I noticed that I'm getting fatter with very slow gain in muscle once I increase my healthy fat intake little bit I got ok gains with intense cardio I got leaner , so right know I'm trying to figure out what will work better for bulking to me and for sure I'll keep fat intake high I might reduce it little bit depend on my carbs and protein if i decide to increase one of them. and right now I'm doing less cardio because I can't do it everyday hope in the summer I'll be able to do that , I'm not like those guys who says once you try to bulk never do any cardio ,, I don't wanna get fat for god sake , low intense cardio for 20-25mins daily or 5 times a week will not harm your gain , in fact it will make you eat more food which is awesome .

bottom line increase your healthy fat by 20-30g and try to reach your 2150 macros "which I think it's little bit low , except if you workout like 3 days a week ).

about Dairy way you don't yous fat free or low fat ? I thought you wanna cut down sugar or something in that way you can use lactose free low or free fat stuff

I cant stress enough how impossible it is to understand 2 paragraphs that cumulatively have 2 periods and virtually no punctuation... I guess punctuation is rare as a unicorn

>good luck<
"He who can take advice is sometimes superior to those who give it"

[UNICORN_KB]

I cant stress enough how impossible it is to understand 2 paragraphs that cumulatively have 2 periods and virtually no punctuation... I guess punctuation is rare as a unicorn

>good luck<
"He who can take advice is sometimes superior to those who give it"

hahahah so you want me to edit it and add more punctuation? I said "bottom line" so you can ignore what I said above it if you want

[>Good Luck<]

hahahah so you want me to edit it and add more punctuation? I said "bottom line" so you can ignore what I said above it if you want

LoL just razzin ya bro, I already ignored all of it!

>good luck<
"He who can take advice is sometimes superior to those who give it"

[Lrodriguez]

how are you

[rocknRIGGAR]

when I read the term no carbs after lunch or day 3 cut or drop your carbs dose this mean we can still consume fibrous just no starchy carbs.... or is no carbs no carbs?
iv seen many references to this and many people have there own take on it ....
lame question I know but after many years of cycling starchy and fibrous carbs I need to clarification Thanks Riggar

[feurion]

Can you review my diet please as i was out of the game for a long time need to get by in shape , thanks alot in advance

Back aftr herniated disc and married life,need to test diet making knowledge, advice

[youmirinorwhat]

Im running 100mg of var ed and 350mg of sust a week and im trying to cut body fat, im at about 12-13% now I weight 164lbs and my height is 5'3 im 20 years old and im taking in 1900 calories a day, now that im using steriods should I increase my calorie intake or keep it the same? Im going to be running 100mg of var ed and 350mg of sust a week for 10 weeks I may double the sust depending on my results. Trying to get to 8% bf

[MBOS]

GB, I'm 54 years old, 328lbs at 6-4. Lifetime lifter except for the last 4 years haven't been consistent, depression. Recently started HRT and have brought my weight down from 366. Normal weight for me while at my best was 315, still too heavy I know.

Feeling much better after the weight loss so far but always looking for more. Need to up cardio I know, not throwing around the heavy weights any longer but focusing on intensity.

The only diet I have had success with is Atkins or some form of low carb. Would like to cut another 30 pounds at least and, of course, I'd like to do it yesterday. Suggestions? Advice? I wish I could say I eat clean protein but truth is I'm a red meat and eggs guy. Unfortunately can't stomach fowl.

[RaginCajun]

hey man, GB has not been around for a while. you should prob just make a thread so we can all comment.

[MBOS]

Thank you Cajun, just started on here and didn't know. Hope all is well with him? Looks like he was pretty giving of his time. Will figure out how to start discussion.

[gbrice75]

Hey all, yea ... I've been on hiatus for a bit but I'm alive and well ... and back to hopefully help out those who can use it.

Not sure how many (if any) of the questions about still need responses, since some were from nearly a year ago. Let me know and I'll get on them!

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

the good ole ask anything thread! good to see it back in action!

[Fatburgler]

GB I have been gone as long as you I imagine hope all is well brother and glad I showed up and found you back at it cause I need some advice. 5'10 197 rolling approx. 15%BF at the time. Have been off cycle over a year and using IF two meals day 1:30 and 8:30 on non training days 160g Protein, 25g carbs, 65g Fat on training days 170g protein 150g carbs, 30g fat pretty much weighing out everything. I'm ready to go back on 500t week for 12 weeks with the goal of taking things to a new level. First, what do you think of IF? Should I change up the macros for a more even split? increase or decrease? I only use BCAA pre workout and fish oils other than that tight on the food intake and looking to get lean. Any help would be greatly appreciated
failed to mention bag work 3 hours week, lifting 4 days/week,

[gbrice75]

GB I have been gone as long as you I imagine hope all is well brother and glad I showed up and found you back at it cause I need some advice. 5'10 197 rolling approx. 15%BF at the time. Have been off cycle over a year and using IF two meals day 1:30 and 8:30 on non training days 160g Protein, 25g carbs, 65g Fat

Why are carbs so low? I understand this is your non-training day, but I don't really see a benefit in dropping them this low for a random day here and there. This is keto territory, except they won't be this low for long enough to achieve ketosis. If nothing else, I'd try and eat a bunch of veggies on these days.

on training days 170g protein 150g carbs, 30g fat pretty much weighing out everything.

Fats are way too low IMO. I wouldn't drop them past roughly 50g/day personally.

I'm ready to go back on 500t week for 12 weeks with the goal of taking things to a new level. First, what do you think of IF? Should I change up the macros for a more even split? increase or decrease?

I like IF, I think it's fine if you find it works well for you, you can stick with it, and it's convenient for your schedule/lifestyle. I'd probably stick with the same calories daily though.

I only use BCAA pre workout and fish oils other than that tight on the food intake and looking to get lean. Any help would be greatly appreciated
failed to mention bag work 3 hours week, lifting 4 days/week,

No secrets to share here ... just be consistent, exercise discipline, be smart and make adjustments as needed, and you'll achieve your goals.

[Fatburgler]

Why are carbs so low? I understand this is your non-training day, but I don't really see a benefit in dropping them this low for a random day here and there. This is keto territory, except they won't be this low for long enough to achieve ketosis. If nothing else, I'd try and eat a bunch of veggies on these days

I was lowering carbs on non training days to carb cycle- higher on training days and low on non training days. I wasn't accounting for the veggies on either day in my carb counts. Since writing and going back through the posts , and taking oyur advice I have come up with a split that may make more sense in order to cut. I have been taking in 1800 Cals a day on some days 1500. The new counts would be everyday no more cycling C-168,P-240, F-60 approx 2150 calories

Thanks

[24hoursppc24]

How to build a muscular body? Can you give me some tips about normal diet.

[qokal]

age24
weight 221
height 6'2
bf 10-12
goals.. be specific

Cutting phase. Get as shredded as possible with keeping as much muscle

I am currently carb cycling.

3 days 293 pro 129 fat 65 carbs <-- all from veggies and pb trace

1 day 200 protein , 55g fat , 350g carbs

Repeat each time ^

Meals on low carb days

4:15 am,

1cup of egg whites, 1 egg, 2 tb almond butter

7:30 am

7 oz top round london broil with half an avocado with veggies

11:00pm

6 oz chicken with half avocado with veggies

2:30pm

6oz salmon with brusell sprouts

5pm - Training

7:30 2 scoops hydrowhey with cup of frozen strawberries

10pm

1 1/2 cup cottage cheese with 2 scoops almond butter and half scoop of casein.



Workout 6 days a week, cardio 5x a week, intense workout short rest periods


Any changes you would recommend?

[qokal]

HIGH CARB DAY

High carb day

214g pro 292 g carbs 38g fat

4:15 am

cup of egg whites + 1.5 cup of old fashion oats

7:30am 3 oz chicken with sweet potatoe

11 3 oz chicken with sweet potatoe

2pm 3 oz chicken with sweet potatote

4pm 1.5 cup oatmeal with 1 tb almond butter

5:30 train

8 shake with 2 hydrowhey protein scoops

10

cup of cottage cheese with 1 tbsp almond butter

[gbrice75]

I was lowering carbs on non training days to carb cycle- higher on training days and low on non training days.

Ok, I must've missed that, sorry. I was thinking this was daily.

I wasn't accounting for the veggies on either day in my carb counts. Since writing and going back through the posts , and taking oyur advice I have come up with a split that may make more sense in order to cut. I have been taking in 1800 Cals a day on some days 1500. The new counts would be everyday no more cycling C-168,P-240, F-60 approx 2150 calories

Thanks

Looks decent. Stick with it and be consistent, adjust if you need to based on how your body is responding.

How to build a muscular body? Can you give me some tips about normal diet.

In a nutshell:
train hard
eat (relatively) big
rest
be consistent

I could elaborate on each ... but this site is already a wealth of resources. I suggest you stick around and do some reading.

age24
weight 221
height 6'2
bf 10-12
goals.. be specific

Cutting phase. Get as shredded as possible with keeping as much muscle

I am currently carb cycling.

3 days 293 pro 129 fat 65 carbs <-- all from veggies and pb trace

1 day 200 protein , 55g fat , 350g carbs

Repeat each time ^

Meals on low carb days

4:15 am,

1cup of egg whites, 1 egg, 2 tb almond butter

7:30 am

7 oz top round london broil with half an avocado with veggies

11:00pm

6 oz chicken with half avocado with veggies

2:30pm

6oz salmon with brusell sprouts

5pm - Training

7:30 2 scoops hydrowhey with cup of frozen strawberries

10pm

1 1/2 cup cottage cheese with 2 scoops almond butter and half scoop of casein.



Workout 6 days a week, cardio 5x a week, intense workout short rest periods


Any changes you would recommend?

Your diet looks good and clean, mainly quality food choices. (some would say this doesn't matter; maybe I'm old school, but I'm not buying it ... yet).

What's alarming though is your fat intake ... 129g? Super high IMO, totally unnecessary. Maybe if you were running a keto diet you'd be up in the 120's, but personally I'd drop it considerably. If you feel you need to 'make up' for lost calories, bump protein - it won't hurt.

HIGH CARB DAY

High carb day

214g pro 292 g carbs 38g fat

4:15 am

cup of egg whites + 1.5 cup of old fashion oats

7:30am 3 oz chicken with sweet potatoe

11 3 oz chicken with sweet potatoe

2pm 3 oz chicken with sweet potatote

4pm 1.5 cup oatmeal with 1 tb almond butter

5:30 train

8 shake with 2 hydrowhey protein scoops

10

cup of cottage cheese with 1 tbsp almond butter

This looks better. Personally, I'd probably UP fats here a bit, lol. 50g or so. At your stats, I wouldn't drop below 50g ever.

[.DeadPool.]

Hey All,

Could really use some help, my head feels like it's going to explode! I have been reading articles and doing calculations for 2 days and nothing is sounding right. Great articles by the way gbrice75, really enjoy reading your posts!

Age: 33
Height: 5'5/6
Weight: 127 lbs
LBW: 108 lbs
BF: approx. 15%
BMR: 1430 Cal/Day (iifymDOTCOM/tdee-calculator/]TDEE Calculator[/url])
TDEE: 2029 Cal/Day (iifymDOTCOM/tdee-calculator/]TDEE Calculator[/url])

Goal is to lean bulk before I start cutting for summer. The problem I am having is according to the calculations my total daily Cals should be 1,620 daily (LBW x15) which is far off from my TDEE (2029 Cal/Day + 300-500 surplus cals for bulking). I am going to possibly be doing the MI40 program just to give you an idea where the calculations/Meals plans are coming from.

To make it a little simpler lets say I rounded up to 2,000 cal/day my totals would look like this:

*Training Days: P 150g / C 250g / F 44g *Non Training Days: P 250g / C 125g / F 55g

Meal Plan/Training Days:

Meal 1 - Protein + Fat + Veg
Meal 2 - Protein + Carbs
Meal 3 - (3 hour PW) Protein + Carbs
Meal 4 - Protein + Veg or Protein Shake (PW)
30 minutes into 40 minute workout - High Glycemic Carb Powder (Vitargo)
Post Workout - Protein Shake
Meal 5 - (Within 2 hours of training) Protein + Carbs
Meal 6 - Protein + Fats + Veg
Before Bed - Protein Shake + Fats

Meal Plan/Non Training Days:

Meal 1 - P+F+v
Meal 2 - P+C
Meal 3 - P+C+V
Meal 4 - P SHAKE
Meal 5 - P SHAKE+C+V
Meal 6 - P+F+V
Before Bed - P SHAKE+F

Anyway what do you think? My total cals just sound to low to me, I think maybe I should be more in the range of 2,500 cal/day for bulking or am I wrong?

The meal plans seem legit but I am conflicted about no carbs in the morning!? As far as getting out of catabolic state in the morning without carbs seems a little iffy to me and training day meal plan maybe a little overboard?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide, Really will appreciate it

[Rida5d]

Here is a question brother..
I stay at 200 lbs and tried to cut.. I estimate my tdee at 2500 cals per day..
At 2000 cals , no weight change
2000 cals+ cardio no weight change
1800 keto no weight change.
1800 keto + cardio , no weight change.
1600 I started to see some improvement and lost an inch but STARVING..

A great friend is helping me in my diet and I'm seeing some good results but I'm having a tough time..

If my tdee is 2500 , why I didn't lose at 2000, and 1800.. Cardio or no cardio?



Thyroid readings are ok .

[gbrice75]

Hey All,

Could really use some help, my head feels like it's going to explode! I have been reading articles and doing calculations for 2 days and nothing is sounding right. Great articles by the way gbrice75, really enjoy reading your posts!

Thanks brother!

Age: 33
Height: 5'5/6
Weight: 127 lbs
LBW: 108 lbs
BF: approx. 15%
BMR: 1430 Cal/Day (iifymDOTCOM/tdee-calculator/]TDEE Calculator[/url])
TDEE: 2029 Cal/Day (iifymDOTCOM/tdee-calculator/]TDEE Calculator[/url])

Goal is to lean bulk before I start cutting for summer. The problem I am having is according to the calculations my total daily Cals should be 1,620 daily (LBW x15) which is far off from my TDEE (2029 Cal/Day + 300-500 surplus cals for bulking). I am going to possibly be doing the MI40 program just to give you an idea where the calculations/Meals plans are coming from.

To make it a little simpler lets say I rounded up to 2,000 cal/day my totals would look like this:

*Training Days: P 150g / C 250g / F 44g *Non Training Days: P 250g / C 125g / F 55g

Meal Plan/Training Days:

Meal 1 - Protein + Fat + Veg
Meal 2 - Protein + Carbs
Meal 3 - (3 hour PW) Protein + Carbs
Meal 4 - Protein + Veg or Protein Shake (PW)
30 minutes into 40 minute workout - High Glycemic Carb Powder (Vitargo)
Post Workout - Protein Shake
Meal 5 - (Within 2 hours of training) Protein + Carbs
Meal 6 - Protein + Fats + Veg
Before Bed - Protein Shake + Fats

Meal Plan/Non Training Days:

Meal 1 - P+F+v
Meal 2 - P+C
Meal 3 - P+C+V
Meal 4 - P SHAKE
Meal 5 - P SHAKE+C+V
Meal 6 - P+F+V
Before Bed - P SHAKE+F

Anyway what do you think? My total cals just sound to low to me, I think maybe I should be more in the range of 2,500 cal/day for bulking or am I wrong?

Here's the thing: no online calculator will ever be able to give any of us anything more than an estimate. As such, we all need to go with a modest, sensible starting point and monitor our progress closely. Make adjustments as needed, and continue dialing in your diet until you find your sweet spot. You'll know when you do. It may take a couple of months before you actually hit it, but this isn't a waste of time, because from that point on, you'll have a much better understanding of your body.

The meal plans seem legit but I am conflicted about no carbs in the morning!? As far as getting out of catabolic state in the morning without carbs seems a little iffy to me and training day meal plan maybe a little overboard?

Assuming you're making decent food choices, the diet looks fine, with the exception of Vitargo - I'm just not a fan personally, don't see the need. We're not competitive athletes, and don't have the same needs as they do. Supplement companies would like us to believe otherwise, but I digress...

If you're really uncertain, go somewhere in the middle - 2250 calories and see how you make out. I know I sound like a broken record, but I can't stress enough how important consistency is. Without it, you'll never really know what's working and what isn't. You have to stick to the plan in order to tweak said plan and find that sweet spot. Once you do, you'll be golden. Figuring out how to cut or 'bulk' will be easy as pie.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide, Really will appreciate it

Anytime.

[gbrice75]

Here is a question brother..
I stay at 200 lbs and tried to cut.. I estimate my tdee at 2500 cals per day..
At 2000 cals , no weight change
2000 cals+ cardio no weight change
1800 keto no weight change.
1800 keto + cardio , no weight change.
1600 I started to see some improvement and lost an inch but STARVING..

A great friend is helping me in my diet and I'm seeing some good results but I'm having a tough time..

If my tdee is 2500 , why I didn't lose at 2000, and 1800.. Cardio or no cardio?



Thyroid readings are ok .

How long did you run the supposed 500 calorie deficit? How consistent were you during that time frame? How about the other attempts to change (surplus, keto, etc.)?

If you're TDEE is truly 2500 and you weren't seeing changes at 2000 calories, then something is off. You either didn't give it enough time, weren't consistent in your approach, or some other factor(s) that we can hopefully figure out.