Carb Cycling and Weight Gain

[Magus]

Every summer I do a 12 week cycle of Tren to get lean and maintain muscle mass and have generally relied on a low to moderate carb intake while keeping my caloric intake 500 below maintainence level. This approach has always worked well for me in the past helping to achieve between 8 - 10 % bf.

This year my body fat levels are not dropping letting me know that my body has most likely adapted to my dietary approach which caused me to resort to carb cycling this week to try to shock my body into metabolizing some fat. Much to my surprise I have actually gained 3 pounds this week while having enough energy to lift with maximum intensity (something that suffers when I low carb/calorie diet), and look leaner, more vascular and defined than I have in the past. I'm 4 weeks into my cycle and at this stage I'm usually under 200 pounds but as of this morning on an empty stomach I was 204 at about 12% bf. While I've never dropped a lot of weight when I use Tren I've never gained while in a caloric deficit either. Is it possible that this diet is having an anabolic effect on me? I'm pretty stoked about this. Sorry about the long post.

Thankx,

- Magus

 

[Nomak666]

carb cycling will have your weight fluctuating between a 5-7 pound difference, roughly. depending on how much carbs you consume on the refeed day. im usually 5 pounds heavier the day after my refeed and it slowly drops back down within 2-3 days. dont judge by weight, judge by how you look in the mirror. i barely even weigh myself anymore but i know im roughly around 165-175. also, depending on how much sodium your taking in and how much water you are holding.

 

[Magus]

So my 3 to 5 pound fluctuation is normal which is good to know. My 1st refeed day is around 175 to 200 grams of carbs and my second day is usually around 250 to 300 grams. I try not to go crazy and eat fruit, brown rice, and whole grain bread. You make a good point when you mention how much sodium I take in and water I may be retaining. I have never been able to drink a gallon or more of water per day only being able to take in about 80oz or so. I also have never paid attention to my sodium intake either which perhaps I should start doing as well. How much sodium is too much? I appreciate your input.

Thankx,

- Magus

 

[Nomak666]

your body needs sodium so dont cut it out completely. everything has sodium in it so if you salt your foods, just dont go crazy with it. the more salt you use, the more water you should drink. if you keep a consistant level of sodium to water ratio then you will be fine. try to drink a gallon a day. its hard at first but after a while, it goes by quick. i drink about half a gallon during my workout so i only need to drink another half gallon for the day.