I think there is a systemic effect to training and eating more, even while theoretically maintaing that caloric differential.
There is perhaps an upper limit, though, on the improvement to insulin sensitivity, muscle stimulation/damage (and hence muscle-protein synthesis that is signaled by such stimulation), but I am wondering if the greater density of work over time (work done throughout the week, I mean, or even within 24 hours) means a higher metabolism, which could also be boosted by eating that much more (solid) food.
I mean, that is the principle behind G-Flux.
Plus, I want to say the reason why cardio eats into your muscle is that you are so low in body fat. The main tissue you are trying to build and maintain is muscle, so I think your body would be naturally more ‘primed’ to handle this tissue, whether for storage or for fueling activity.
I am not sure about the physiology of what is going on, though.
Side note: Definitely compete, man! I am rooting for you, big time. You have always been one of the most helpful people on here.
wrt Berardi’s G-flux theory, I believe there is a point of diminishing returns.
Sure, someone who doesn’t work out and eats a 500 cal surplus per day won’t see as much improvement as someone who weight trains 4x per week and eats the same surplus (due to partitioning, improving insulin sensitivity in the muscle etc.)
but there probably comes a point where, at the same energy balance, additional activity doesn’t provide any benefit(and may be detrimental e.g. overtraining)
Note: I’m not suggesting anyone on this board is overtraining, necessarily, but it can happen if one isn’t careful.
I started the AD recently, and by cutting milk/carbs out I’ve had to find a few ways to still hit my calorie goal. In the processed I discovered some really easy calories.
This has been mentioned - Coconut Cream. A tin has like 100g of fat and is cheap as. Taste alright in shakes although its a taste I would get sick of quick if I had it everyday.
Thickened Cream - I put about 300ml in a blender before with some sugar free jelly to make whipped cream. It tasted fucking great and was a good ~700 calories and its not even filling.
Again, cheese. Lots of different varieties and some go with eggs really good. Actually they go with basically everything.