Fine-tuning First Cycle

[Medic 1]

Keep upping your meals every two weeks just a thought I have used weight gainers and protein powders before but I see a lot more progress with real food. I take 2cup almond milk with a banana add 4 eggs whites sometimes the whole egg along with oatmeal and some other fruits it’s a lot cheaper and better for you just a thought for you.

[zigzagzig]

Keep upping your meals every two weeks just a thought I have used weight gainers and protein powders before but I see a lot more progress with real food. I take 2cup almond milk with a banana add 4 eggs whites sometimes the whole egg along with oatmeal and some other fruits it’s a lot cheaper and better for you just a thought for you.

I've increased to 3300cals on workout days now.

At 7:00am I do a big shake with 4 scoops of whey, 2 cups of 1% fairlife milk, one banana, 2 cups of frozen berries, 2 bags of instant oatmeal, and half a cup of eggs white. I drink it half at 7:00am, half at 10:00am.

Then I have lunch around noon, when I target 6 to 7oz of chicken/meat/fish + carbs,

at 4:00pm a sandwich with 2 slices of whole wheat bread, one slice of harvarti cheese and 6 slices of turkey bread.

PWO shake at 5:00pm with one banana, one bag of instant oatmeal, one cup of 1% fairlife milk, one scoop of whey.

Post work out, one banana, one shake with two scoops of whey.

Dinner at 8:00 targeting 6 to 8 oz of chicken/meat/or fish +carbs.

Then late night if I'm missing protein targets I do another shake with casein, or if I'm missing carbs, I eat greek yogurt with lots of granola

On the last days, I've been at 182lbs right before I go to sleep, with a huge new layer of belly fat built during the day. In the morning, I wake up back at 178lbs and the fat layer is gone.

[zigzagzig]

Today my morning weight jumped to 180.5lbs, at 14.5% bf. That's a 5.5 lbs increase. Indeed, I definitely noticed being fuller. During chest work-out today I got back to my previous bench PR at 8x205 + 3x6x225. Hope these improvements are just the beginning

[zigzagzig]

Keep upping your meals every two weeks just a thought I have used weight gainers and protein powders before but I see a lot more progress with real food. I take 2cup almond milk with a banana add 4 eggs whites sometimes the whole egg along with oatmeal and some other fruits it’s a lot cheaper and better for you just a thought for you.

I've just purchased a weight gainer to help on some days when I''l be targeting 3600 to 3800cal. Each serving is ~1200cal, but if I would get one every day it would mean a third of my cals would come from it. Therefore, I'll just supplement with half a serving every day, 1/4 on my pre workout shake and 1/4 on my post workout shake.

[Dannyboy51577]

Yeah, but its just not always wise to jump into it with multiple compounds out of the gate. You are up 3lbs in 3 wks and just coming into your increased, steady levels. You will be good on weight and strength gains, and next cycle you will have a base to compare to. Dont overthink it or jump into the deep end right away, you have plenty of time

[zigzagzig]

Yeah, but its just not always wise to jump into it with multiple compounds out of the gate. You are up 3lbs in 3 wks and just coming into your increased, steady levels. You will be good on weight and strength gains, and next cycle you will have a base to compare to. Dont overthink it or jump into the deep end right away, you have plenty of time

You are right, and I won't add any kickstart to it. The point I was trying to make is the following, although i'm aware it takes some weeks and I'm patient to wait for it, there's always a side thought wondering what's going on. After all, it is the first time I'm injecting something on me.

[shadowdragon]

Nice to see other people just starting out.

How you feeling strength wise? outside the gym?

[zigzagzig]

Nice to see other people just starting out.

How you feeling strength wise? outside the gym?

You brought an interesting issue, I do feel steadily stronger outside gym time. Almost to the point that I feel the urge to do some push ups to release the energy.

[zigzagzig]

Hey guys,

There's a long time I haven't log my cycle. I got sick a couple week ago and lost around 5lbs from the 13lbs I'd gained by then. Now, I'm in the middle of my 6th week and I'm stuck on a 12lbs gain. I'm feeling a bit tired most of days and I'm concerned that as I'm not making much progress, if I go through the whole 12 week cycle it may become too much for me. Should I shorten it to 10 or even 8 weeks?

I'll do this week a mid-cycle blood test.

[cousinmuscles]

Hey guys,

There's a long time I haven't log my cycle. I got sick a couple week ago and lost around 5lbs from the 13lbs I'd gained by then. Now, I'm in the middle of my 6th week and I'm stuck on a 12lbs gain. I'm feeling a bit tired most of days and I'm concerned that as I'm not making much progress, if I go through the whole 12 week cycle it may become too much for me. Should I shorten it to 10 or even 8 weeks?

I'll do this week a mid-cycle blood test.

The test E has kicked in now and will probably give you gains up to 12 weeks, just hit the gym and hit the biggest PRs you can, push yourself to the limits and make the most out of it

[zigzagzig]

The test E has kicked in now and will probably give you gains up to 12 weeks, just hit the gym and hit the biggest PRs you can, push yourself to the limits and make the most out of it

Thanks for the push. I'll keep the original plan for now. I'm about to choose one of the blood panels from discountedlabs.com or from privatemdlabs.com. Any suggestions or coupons that you may know?

[cousinmuscles]

Thanks for the push. I'll keep the original plan for now. I'm about to choose one of the blood panels from discountedlabs.com or from privatemdlabs.com. Any suggestions or coupons that you may know?

Sorry I don't I'm in the other side of the Atlantic but I'm sure many others here can help with this.