What to do? New Diet?

[Hawkins989]

Hi everyone!

This is my first post on this forum, hopefully some of you can help me out! Any input would be much appreciated! Thank you!

Well my journey started July last year, when i weighed myself and found that i weighed a staggering 21st 4lbs! Ive always been a big lad and tried a few diets but could never stick to them, but after seeing just how much i weighed i knew something had to change! So i started a very low carb diet maybe no more than 10gs a day, at first it was very difficult but got easier as i saw my progress! I also started weight training at a local gym thinking i would turn the fat into muscle! I got so dedicated to my diet that i didn't go out for my 21st birthday, didn't have Christmas dinner or have a drop of alcohol neither did i go out new years eve! Some people called me crazy but i knew i couldn't come off track! Now 9 months later i now weigh 15stone 7lbs and im looking a hell of a lot better and im stronger than ever! I still have a bit of body fat that id like to get rid of and some excess skin! Id like to put some muscle on and get "Whamos" as the people say in my gym lol. Ive been introducing some good carbs into my diet recently but not a major amount! So id like to know your opinion of what i should do? Should i stick to what im doing and my current diet? Or should i change it up a bit? Also been doing some research on AS should i look down that route?

Any comments will be much appreciated!

Thank you!

 

[oso0960]

Congratulations on your achievements!

Anyway, say no to drugs. At least for now. Make that decision when you are closer to your genetic potential and have much more knowledge and experience in the gym and in the kitchen. (years down the road)

I personally don't like low carb diets myself because fruits and veggies are carb sources. To force yourself to stay away from them, I can't see how that is good for your body, especially in the long term.

I also don't like 'diets' unless you're competing. I think of them more as lifestyle changes.

Anyways I've posted this a lot today but I'll post it again. By Dr. John Berardi:

1. Eat every 2-3 hours, no matter what. You should eat between 5-8 meals per day.

2. Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.

3. Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal.

4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.

5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).

6. Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea.

7. Eat mostly whole foods (except workout and post-workout drinks).
So what about calories, or macronutrient ratios, or any number of other things that I’ve covered in other articles? The short answer is that if you aren’t already practicing the above-mentioned habits, and by practicing them I mean putting them to use over 90% of the time (i.e., no more than 4 meals out of an average 42 meals per week violate any of those rules), everything else is pretty pointless.

According to him, you should add your starches mostly around your workout (and I like them in the morning to start the day off right ) People tolerate starchy carbs a little differently, at least from what I've read, so I think your best bet is to add them slowly like you're doing and see what works best for you.

 

[red head]

what OSO wrote is good solid advice this is basicly how most fit/strong people will eat with the exception of those that IF ( not eating every 2 to 3 hours, you may take a look at it at leangains.kom) . whats your training look like ? , routine , cardio and weights lifted etc

 

[Hawkins989]

Thank you both for your replies! Sorry i didnt reply earlier i have been busy over the weekend!

Firstly OSO would you say that type of meal plan would help build muscle and loose body fat?

Red head i train 5 days a week:

Monday: Chest & Triceps
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Shoulders
Thursday: Legs & Abs
Friday: Biceps

I play football once or twice a week at a competitive level i also started boxing once a week and thinking about doing some MMA.

 

[J Nicholas]

Agree with everything Oso posted, however, if you do decide to go low/no carb, experiment to find the shortest cycle your body will respond to. I currently run 5.8 days on (no carbs) and 1.2 days off (lots of carbs). When I was younger, I used to be able to get away with running 3 on 2 off with the same results. As a 6'4 meso, I can consistently cut 1.8-2.5 lbs/wk like this.

 

[red head]

Thank you both for your replies! Sorry i didnt reply earlier i have been busy over the weekend!

Firstly OSO would you say that type of meal plan would help build muscle and loose body fat?

Red head i train 5 days a week:

Monday: Chest & Triceps
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Shoulders
Thursday: Legs & Abs
Friday: Biceps

I play football once or twice a week at a competitive level i also started boxing once a week and thinking about doing some MMA.

your training looks all over the place . how long have you been training and what weights are you lifting . as for diet you should look to do 2 things , 1- lose fat and retain any muscle you have or 2- gain muscle with very little or no fat gain . losing fat and building muscle natrually is virtually imposible . also try to lose your fear of carbs , carbs dont make you fat , carbs in the presence of excess cals make you fat .

 

[Hawkins989]

Oh no really? Ive been training for about 8-9months now im alot stronger from when i started but i havent noticed much difference in my muscle size.
My one lift max on bench press is 110Kg but i do 4 sets of 6-8 reps at 85kg, for chest i also do Incline and decline, dumbell bench and flies! What other weights would you like to know?
I know what your saying about fear of carbs! Like i said i lost my weight through a very low carb diet and in the back of my mind im thinking if i start to eat them again i may put the weight back on if you see what im saying!


Thanks for all the replies! x

 

[kagenical]

The one mistake I made, is going on AAS well before I should have. Your first cycle will be your BEST cycle IMHO. Don't waste that while you're still benching 115lbs and squatting 150lbs.

If you're worried about carbs and weight gain, attempt to eat them around your workout time. Your body will use the carbs you eat 2hrs pre-wo as fuel, and the carbs you consume right after your workout as a substrate to replenish glycogen. Eating a pizza 10hrs before your workout is a recipe for fat gain. Eating it afterwards will be much more productive towards your apparent goals... But pizza isn't exactly a healthy food choice, so this serves as an example and not advice!

You can't actually turn fat to muscle, as a physiological process, though I believe you were using the phrase colloquially. Your best bet, IMHO, would be to go for several 4 and 2 month cycles of muscle gain and fat loss. During a 4 month muscle gain period, eat just above your TDEE (not too far, lest you'll gain fat too quickly) to put on 4-5lbs of lean muscle each time. After that, focus on going low carb (or even CKD if you can) just below TDEE for 2 months to lose fat. Zig Zagging your goals and metabolism seems to produce the best results, but you absolutely don't need to switch between periods of major caloric intake, and drastic restriction. Your exercise routine shouldn't change between the two phases, save for some HIIT cardio (perhaps) during your fat loss period. When cutting fat, with the same workout routine, sacrifice reps, not weight. You need to force your body to keep the muscle it's developed in a calorically restrictive scenario. One year, or two "cycles" can lead to an enormous exchange of fat for muscle.

As stated above, the RIGHT foods are just as important as the amount of foods.

 

[SolarEmpire44]

You dont have to gain fat to build muscle, its so stupid.. You can build muscle and lose fat at the same time naturally, bulking and cutting is freaking dumb.. The most imporatnt thing is timing your carbs, you want most of your carbs around your weight training and stay away from them around cardio time, protein should be very high at this time.. You defiantly can build muscle and lose fat at the same time but its hard, its very hard, it takes time and dedication.. Also buy a high quality creatine dont buy cheap brand, Creatine really helps you build muscle faster, so its a must if your natural, just follow the direction.. Also, forget about steroids man, its pointless, natural is the way to go..