How to 'Bulk' For Naturals

[SteelyD]

[quote]Mtag666 wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:
The core question:

What kind of a modern “bulking diet” would you advocate in order to optimize muscle gains and take advantage of hormonal fluctuations, insulin response, etc.?[/quote]

I would avoid giving out a specific diet right off. I would just get them to understand the basics of how food works in their body.

I would tell them the crap that is likely much less useful to their goals…like cookies…and get them to understand that hamburger meat isn’t evil.

Furthermore, unless someone has the genetics I discussed before, the current concept of “bulking” has been murdered and been replaced with a bunch of internet warriors acting like bulking up means get fat.

That is the only reason this much bickering still exists.

Bulking up used to mean focusing on size and strength alone for a while and keep tabs on your body fat gain. That is all it is…and there is no exact blue print for that. You base it on the results seen.[/quote]

So instead of getting a calorie amount and letting them be flexible with food choices (which would actually allow them to reach a goal)

you have them pointlessly avoid certain foods yet stuff their faces and end up fatter than if they eat what they want in sensible amounts. makes sense. [/quote]

Brrrt!

2 minute penalty.

[SteelyD]

[quote]jskrabac wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:
My personal rule was to focus on the protein and let the rest fall where it may when “bulking”…trying to avoid crap like donuts, cookies and sodas. I had the metabolism to match that so it worked.

For instance, yes, I would eat that hamburger…and may even eat 5 fries…but I would try to avoid the whole casual throw care to the wind pig out.

You watch the scale and the mirror and your strength. The rest depends on your genetics and the results you get.[/quote]

Translation: I have always winged it and have never put forth the effort to actually be able to quantify my body’s caloric needs, carb tolerance, etc. I think EVERYBODY should do the same thing, even if they have different goals than I do, like being under 15% bodyfat…which I’ve never done. [/quote]

Brrrrt!

Unsportsmanlike conduct.

[LoRez]

[quote]LoRez wrote:
A few other questions then

1. What did you do for breakfast?

2. How did you approach post-workout nutrition? Pre-workout? During the workout?

3. Did you eat before bed, or was your last meal a few hours before bed?

4. I’m assuming your metabolism has slowed down over the years, so how has your approach changed?[/quote]

[Professor_X]

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:
A few other questions then

1. What did you do for breakfast?

2. How did you approach post-workout nutrition? Pre-workout? During the workout?

3. Did you eat before bed, or was your last meal a few hours before bed?

4. I’m assuming your metabolism has slowed down over the years, so how has your approach changed?[/quote][/quote]

I will respond tomorrow. I have to go.

I guess we will see if the same guys try to ruin your thread as well.

[MassiveGuns]

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]MassiveGuns wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:
What sort of dietary approach would you suggest for someone who has the genetics of a distance runner and an appetite that self-regulates to 135lbs @ 5’10?[/quote]

It sounds like you are one of those people that will have a hard time putting on weight. Do you find that you can eat whatever you want and you can still see your abs? If you are one of those people, how you should start depends on your lifting experience. If you are a total noob, just make sure you have protein covered for you weight, and eat a little bit more than your current intake, say an extra 300cal. Once you have a solid foundation in Squats, Deads, Military press, Bench, Dips and rows (as in your technique is solid) then its time to push it.[/quote]

That’s was basically my approach before, and now that I’m back at it, again. The scale is moving in the right direction, strength (in the 8-15 range) is improving, and I look better than when I started.

Right now, I’m averaging about 2.5lbs a week weight gain, although there’s some muscle memory at play here. I went from basically 135->160 last year, so I’m working on getting that back.

You need to buy a body fat monitor

Are these consistent enough to be useful? I know they’re not particularly accurate, but even if it’s 5% off, is it consistently 5% off?

[quote]I have a feeling you will find the number you need to gain is going to be more than you are used to eating.

Dairy IMO is best for peri-post workout. Yoghurt is actually a great one, just add 500g low fat natural yoghurt to your post workout shake and drink it up. That will spike insulin to a massive exent.[/quote]

Yes, it was more than I expected, but I’ve been able to do it with added dairy.

Before, I was using a shake made of protein powder + half&half + egg. Now, I’m using one that’s milk + powdered milk + pb + banana + ice cream + corn syrup + malt powder + egg.

Why use yogurt? Other than the obvious probiotic benefits, what else does yogurt do that other dairy sources don’t? Or do you mostly just suggest it for texture/thickness purposes?

The best foods to maintain glycogen are healthy carb sources. Oats IMO are the best. For some reason oats don’t seem to bloat you or make you gain as much fat. And I am personally of the opinion that you should have a high to moderate carb meal at night, it helps you sleep and night time is when the protein switches kick into overdrive, you don’t want to be dehydrated or carb depleted at that time, and you want insulin shuttling nutrients to the cells that need them.

How do you prepare the oats? I’m not a fan of oatmeal so I’m not really sure how to use them.[/quote]

Commercial bodyfat monitors will track changes acurately enough, as in you know if you are going in the right direction. The actual number can be way off so it’s not that useful

Yogurt helps with digestion. It makes quite a difference to how I feel so I think it’s useful from that aspect. The other aspect is the insulin response you get from it compared to the actual calories in it is pretty big. I don’t have any hard evidence to back this up, only anecdotal.

Oats you can just mix up some protein shake with milk, then stir it in and just eat it straight without cooking. You can add the finer grades to protein shakes, make flapjacks with protein powder in etc.

[MassiveGuns]

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:
A few other questions then

1. What did you do for breakfast?

2. How did you approach post-workout nutrition? Pre-workout? During the workout?

3. Did you eat before bed, or was your last meal a few hours before bed?

4. I’m assuming your metabolism has slowed down over the years, so how has your approach changed?[/quote][/quote]

Important point to take note of, do not focus solely on one single protein source. There are more complex factors you need to take into account. Generally, meat protein is less bioavialable than other sources because of individual differences in digestion and how well you chew your food. Eggs on the other hand do not have this problem. You also have to remember that different proteins have different amino acid profiles, so in order to make sure you are getting all your essentials in, you have to eat protein from several different sources to get a balance.

Digestive enzymes go some way to addressing the problem with meat and making use of the calories you eat so I highly reccomend them during a bulk. Other than that, eat some pineapple every day as an alternative.

[MassiveGuns]

[quote]Mtag666 wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:
The core question:

What kind of a modern “bulking diet” would you advocate in order to optimize muscle gains and take advantage of hormonal fluctuations, insulin response, etc.?[/quote]

I would avoid giving out a specific diet right off. I would just get them to understand the basics of how food works in their body.

I would tell them the crap that is likely much less useful to their goals…like cookies…and get them to understand that hamburger meat isn’t evil.

Furthermore, unless someone has the genetics I discussed before, the current concept of “bulking” has been murdered and been replaced with a bunch of internet warriors acting like bulking up means get fat.

That is the only reason this much bickering still exists.

Bulking up used to mean focusing on size and strength alone for a while and keep tabs on your body fat gain. That is all it is…and there is no exact blue print for that. You base it on the results seen.[/quote]

So instead of getting a calorie amount and letting them be flexible with food choices (which would actually allow them to reach a goal)

you have them pointlessly avoid certain foods yet stuff their faces and end up fatter than if they eat what they want in sensible amounts. makes sense. [/quote]

You ever known anyone to eat potato chips or ice cream in sensible amounts?

[Smashingweights]

^yes

[Smashingweights]

But seriously OP
My original post may have been in jest (may have)
But the sentiment is there.
It really is simple.

Lean Bulk approach:

1. Figure out a general estimate of your maintenance calories.
2. Provide a moderate caloric surplus to start with and gauge your food intake after a week or two of progress.
3. Track your macros and gain muscle while keeping fat gain to a minimum, preferably below 15%
4. Adjust calories and macros based on progress and activity levels.

You are wanting the approach to gaining that ISN’T this^^

1. Eat enough food to make sure the scale is going up constantly but don’t count cals.
2. Make sure you are lifting more weight or the same weight for more reps each workout.
3. Don’t let bodyfat get out of control (which is a sketchy statement considering some might be ok with 30%)

It’s very simple.

[SteelyD]

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:
But seriously OP
My original post may have been in jest (may have)
But the sentiment is there.
It really is simple.

Lean Bulk approach:

1. Figure out a general estimate of your maintenance calories.
2. Provide a moderate caloric surplus to start with and gauge your food intake after a week or two of progress.
3. Track your macros and gain muscle while keeping fat gain to a minimum, preferably below 15%
4. Adjust calories and macros based on progress and activity levels.

You are wanting the approach to gaining that ISN’T this^^

1. Eat enough food to make sure the scale is going up constantly but don’t count cals.
2. Make sure you are lifting more weight or the same weight for more reps each workout.
3. Don’t let bodyfat get out of control (which is a sketchy statement considering some might be ok with 30%)

It’s very simple.[/quote]

I don’t think the two approaches you listed are necessarily mutually exclusive or have to be done as outlined.

You can still do the ‘lean approach’, but #3 is subjective by person. You can still track macros and go overboard. You can still track macros and make sure your lifts keep going up.

Honestly, this is what has been so fucking frustrating about “PX vs the World” threads ad infinitem now. “#3” is the only real variable.

Just my 0.000002 centavos

[sstewart22]

Kid, lemme do you a favor.

When you work with the iron, you’ve got to find your own way.

[Mtag666]

To actually post something constructive. OP if you want creative and different ways to prepare oats, google proats (protein oats) sooo many ways to make delicious combinations. generally milk + oats, then add in however many scoops of protein you want, then some sugar free fat free pudding mix to thicken it up (if you want, it’s better with it) and whatever else you want.

[xXSeraphimXx]

[quote]SteelyD wrote:

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:
But seriously OP
My original post may have been in jest (may have)
But the sentiment is there.
It really is simple.

Lean Bulk approach:

1. Figure out a general estimate of your maintenance calories.
2. Provide a moderate caloric surplus to start with and gauge your food intake after a week or two of progress.
3. Track your macros and gain muscle while keeping fat gain to a minimum, preferably below 15%
4. Adjust calories and macros based on progress and activity levels.

You are wanting the approach to gaining that ISN’T this^^

1. Eat enough food to make sure the scale is going up constantly but don’t count cals.
2. Make sure you are lifting more weight or the same weight for more reps each workout.
3. Don’t let bodyfat get out of control (which is a sketchy statement considering some might be ok with 30%)

It’s very simple.[/quote]

I don’t think the two approaches you listed are necessarily mutually exclusive or have to be done as outlined.

You can still do the ‘lean approach’, but #3 is subjective by person. You can still track macros and go overboard. You can still track macros and make sure your lifts keep going up.

Honestly, this is what has been so fucking frustrating about “PX vs the World” threads ad infinitem now. “#3” is the only real variable.

Just my 0.000002 centavos[/quote]

But, as was discussed in the macro thread it is very easy to say I’ll just have a few more pieces of…, or an extra meal when you are in a way just winging it. Sure, you can still fuck up and cheat when counting macros but, that is a whole other issue. Also, at least for me the macro breakdown can have a big impact on how much water (weight fluctuations) I hold which if I was not counting could make me add or subtract calories when not necessary. To me it just seems a lot easier to choose a macro/calorie breakdown follow it for a couple weeks and make adjustments if necessary.

I think the issue with #3 is that it is unnecessary to get to such a high BF, it is not adding muscle at a faster rate just weight. If one is comfortable getting a bit heavier that is cool but, I feel that telling someone new to training to follow suit is wrong. Newbs can hardly train properly how are they suppose to just wing the diet.

[Smashingweights]

[quote]SteelyD wrote:

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:
But seriously OP
My original post may have been in jest (may have)
But the sentiment is there.
It really is simple.

Lean Bulk approach:

1. Figure out a general estimate of your maintenance calories.
2. Provide a moderate caloric surplus to start with and gauge your food intake after a week or two of progress.
3. Track your macros and gain muscle while keeping fat gain to a minimum, preferably below 15%
4. Adjust calories and macros based on progress and activity levels.

You are wanting the approach to gaining that ISN’T this^^

1. Eat enough food to make sure the scale is going up constantly but don’t count cals.
2. Make sure you are lifting more weight or the same weight for more reps each workout.
3. Don’t let bodyfat get out of control (which is a sketchy statement considering some might be ok with 30%)

It’s very simple.[/quote]

I don’t think the two approaches you listed are necessarily mutually exclusive or have to be done as outlined.

You can still do the ‘lean approach’, but #3 is subjective by person. You can still track macros and go overboard. You can still track macros and make sure your lifts keep going up.

Honestly, this is what has been so fucking frustrating about “PX vs the World” threads ad infinitem now. “#3” is the only real variable.

Just my 0.000002 centavos[/quote]
I somewhat agree with you big man.
The issue is #3: the infamous “how much is too much bodyfat” question.
I have not seen a “traditional bulkier” advocate consistently tracking Macros?
Maybe some have but I do not recal seeing it.
If the “higher BF/Traditional Bulk” crowd said “hey, I don’t really care about having abs and I like to eat. This works for me. You do you and ill do me” then this would never be an issue!
It’s when this approach is pitched as optimal/the best way/the only way to gain the most muscle that issues come up.
InB4- where did I say that? Post a quote! Blah blah blah.

I agree that the PX vs The World thing is frustrating because it is the same conversation that’s been going on for years.
I’ve made my stance known on what X is doing here and why it is allowed.
It’s just part of the deal with this site.

Just between you and I, do you think it’s necessary for a lifter to get up to 20+% bodyfat in order to gain muscle optimally?
Flame free.
Serious responses back and forth.
Scouts honor.
I’m still LOL’ing at your photoshop mastery.

[Joshirish]

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:
You are not interested in the “lean bulk” method so that must mean you want the opposite?
The “fat bulk.”
That, my friend, is very simple.
Eat as much food as you would like while hitting the gym and making sure the scale is moving up.
Preferably on a daily basis.
You should be packing on pounds like they are going out of style.
20 pounds in 2 months is not uncommon.
Hammer strength is best.
You ahould be filling out shirts at an alarming rate.
Hopefully they will start to feel snug in the arms and shoulders before the belly but either way is ok.
Keep lifting more weight and keep the scale moving up no matter what.
If you start to get too fat for your own liking then cut back on the cabs (pizza)
this is completely individual.
For some that may be 15% for others that may be 35%
Genetics.
Avoid cardio like the plague.

You have been shown the way my son.
Now go forth and bulk.[/quote]

LOL Amen

[Vagina_Whisperer]

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:
For some that may be 15% for OTHERS that may be 35%
Genetics.

[/quote]

[SteelyD]

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:

I don’t disagree with what you wrote. However, when you say you’ve not seen ‘traditional bulkers’ track macros, I don’t know whether you’re talking about Internet forum bulkers or real life bulkers. [/quote]

In real life, the biggest guys I’ve ever met (no idea natural or not, but stay with me..) who I’ve talked about diets for getting big have advocated “eating big but eating smart”. However, that does not mean that they “just ate everything”. I have a hard time believing that truly big guys who have competed, let’s say a decade or more ago just ate without having some rough but pretty accurate idea of what they were eating.

It’s not outrageous to think that some big dudes can gain on (I’m making this up) 5000 cals daily, but just gorge on the weekends in their off season. 6 days of immaculate eating + 1 day of ‘git fud in mah belleh’ doesn’t make a serious weightlifter a fatass over night.

[quote]
Just between you and I, do you think it’s necessary for a lifter to get up to 20+% bodyfat in order to gain muscle optimally?
Flame free.
Serious responses back and forth.
Scouts honor.
I’m still LOL’ing at your photoshop mastery. [/quote]

Do I think it’s necessary? Absolutely not.
Do I think it’s acceptable? For me-- absolutely. For you? I don’t know. I’m not you. For him (any ‘him’). I don’t know. At the risk of falling into your bucket, it’s really what each person can handle.

Also, I don’t know “20%”. Honestly, in real life, I’ve met 2 lifters (competitive or gym rat) who ever got a real BF thingy done. A few more people have gotten calipers and a bunch more use the electric fat thingy at the front desk. The number is meaningless to most people and I’m in the ‘estimating bodyfat % by the vast majority of people is a crock of shit’. Not that the best and brightest BF estimators don’t post here at TN, but I remain skeptical.

I’m happily married to my hot wife. I have kids and a mortgage. I don’t need to see my abs to feel comfortable on the beach (NTTAWWT). That’s an advantage for me and, indeed, gives me some cushioning (pun intended) because my goal is more like 80% strength related 20% physique. Yes, I’ve tightened up here and there.

So, there are some folks who PL who are somewhat physique oriented. Some are just after the number. From my perspective, if I hit a wall, I may switch things up to break the plateau, but if I can’t, the first thing I do is start eating.

Either way, I don’t fall into any ‘camp’. I’m just a dumb dude who goes to the gym to lift as much as I can. I don’t come here to impress anyone and I don’t really care if e-dudes think I’m obese. I’m mostly here to pick up nuggets of wisdom and for the LULZ. If I can help someone, I’m happy to do that. I logged my training and diet in O35 for a few years, so no secret to what I did to gain weight. I used to get regular PM’s from folks that I helped (scary thought, eh?). I do believe my 5-6 years of “bulking” has brought some great gains for an old dude with a broken back. I do believe I’m looking at coming down slowly now-- not for abs, necessarily, but to maintain my lifts at a slightly lower weight. The physique will take care of itself.

Let me reiterate. I don’t do ‘bulk dogma’. Someone earlier posted you gotta find your own way. ABSOLUTE TRUTH. If someone convinces you to never go above a certain BF%, then yes, you could possibly be holding yourself back from your optimum potential, but that doesn’t mean you still won’t make gains. Both methods work, you just have to pick your path.

TL;DR – Fatboy wan’ Punkin’ Pie Po’tart

[Smashingweights]

[quote]SteelyD wrote:

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:

I don’t disagree with what you wrote. However, when you say you’ve not seen ‘traditional bulkers’ track macros, I don’t know whether you’re talking about Internet forum bulkers or real life bulkers. [/quote]

In real life, the biggest guys I’ve ever met (no idea natural or not, but stay with me..) who I’ve talked about diets for getting big have advocated “eating big but eating smart”. However, that does not mean that they “just ate everything”. I have a hard time believing that truly big guys who have competed, let’s say a decade or more ago just ate without having some rough but pretty accurate idea of what they were eating.

It’s not outrageous to think that some big dudes can gain on (I’m making this up) 5000 cals daily, but just gorge on the weekends in their off season. 6 days of immaculate eating + 1 day of ‘git fud in mah belleh’ doesn’t make a serious weightlifter a fatass over night.

[quote]
Just between you and I, do you think it’s necessary for a lifter to get up to 20+% bodyfat in order to gain muscle optimally?
Flame free.
Serious responses back and forth.
Scouts honor.
I’m still LOL’ing at your photoshop mastery. [/quote]

Do I think it’s necessary? Absolutely not.
Do I think it’s acceptable? For me-- absolutely. For you? I don’t know. I’m not you. For him (any ‘him’). I don’t know. At the risk of falling into your bucket, it’s really what each person can handle.

Also, I don’t know “20%”. Honestly, in real life, I’ve met 2 lifters (competitive or gym rat) who ever got a real BF thingy done. A few more people have gotten calipers and a bunch more use the electric fat thingy at the front desk. The number is meaningless to most people and I’m in the ‘estimating bodyfat % by the vast majority of people is a crock of shit’. Not that the best and brightest BF estimators don’t post here at TN, but I remain skeptical.

I’m happily married to my hot wife. I have kids and a mortgage. I don’t need to see my abs to feel comfortable on the beach (NTTAWWT). That’s an advantage for me and, indeed, gives me some cushioning (pun intended) because my goal is more like 80% strength related 20% physique. Yes, I’ve tightened up here and there.

So, there are some folks who PL who are somewhat physique oriented. Some are just after the number. From my perspective, if I hit a wall, I may switch things up to break the plateau, but if I can’t, the first thing I do is start eating.

Either way, I don’t fall into any ‘camp’. I’m just a dumb dude who goes to the gym to lift as much as I can. I don’t come here to impress anyone and I don’t really care if e-dudes think I’m obese. I’m mostly here to pick up nuggets of wisdom and for the LULZ. If I can help someone, I’m happy to do that. I logged my training and diet in O35 for a few years, so no secret to what I did to gain weight. I used to get regular PM’s from folks that I helped (scary thought, eh?). I do believe my 5-6 years of “bulking” has brought some great gains for an old dude with a broken back. I do believe I’m looking at coming down slowly now-- not for abs, necessarily, but to maintain my lifts at a slightly lower weight. The physique will take care of itself.

Let me reiterate. I don’t do ‘bulk dogma’. Someone earlier posted you gotta find your own way. ABSOLUTE TRUTH. If someone convinces you to never go above a certain BF%, then yes, you could possibly be holding yourself back from your optimum potential, but that doesn’t mean you still won’t make gains. Both methods work, you just have to pick your path.

TL;DR – Fatboy wan’ Punkin’ Pie Po’tart[/quote]
I think we are pretty much on the same page.
I’m sure some/many “traditional” bulkers count or track their macros somewhat but definitely not all or most IMO.
I also think there is a difference between big guys who have competed like you said and your gym rat bug guys who don’t.
We all know how easy it is to grab an extra handful of “Snack A” or have a little bit bigger scoop of “Food B”
Those things can add up QUICK without even knowing it.
You might think it’s an extra couple hundred calories and we are really talking 1,000+!!

But like I said, I think we are basically on the same page.
The issue is with what some people see as “acceptable” levels of bodyfat.
Different people have different approaches and if people wouldn’t try to shove their views down other people’s throats as THE way then this wouldn’t be an issue.
Mmmmmmm pop tarts

[SteelyD]

Pt. 2

re: tracking food macros. When I was dropping weight some years ago, I tracked my food religiously. It was a great exercise to learn portions and what PFC they contained. I encourage everyone to do that for at least some months and memorize certain things.

For fun, I’ve started recording what I eat. To be sure, I’m not giving myself macros, then fitting meals to it, I’m just recording what I eat.

Guess what? I’ve essentially been maintaining the same weight for many months, actually slightly losing scale weight just eating what I naturally want to eat. I’m hitting about the same macro/calorie breakdown all week, except for a little extra here, a little less there (usually less when I’m traveling for work).

I know naturally (after having gone through the exercise of visually learning portion sizes and macro breakdowns) that all I need to do is add another slab of meat during the day and another potato, and I’m going to gain. Up the cardio and drop the cream in my coffee and a serving of rice and I’ll lose. It’s that simple.

I know if I buy 0.6 lb strip steak, it’s going to grill down to 1/2 lb (close enough amongst friends). Quick-- anyone-- withough googling-- Calories/Fat/Protein in 1/2 lb of steak… Anyone? If you can’t answer that, or at least know that at the end of the day approximately what 2 lbs of steak, 2 cups of rice, 6 eggs, and, I don’t know, 2 Tbs of PB comes to, then maybe you should track your macros. If you can’t do that, but know whether you will generally lose or gain on that, you’re probably experienced enough to pull it off. If you’re getting close to contest day for BB, then you’re already doing something similar on paper or in your head.

I was also reminded that an evening snack can quickly add 1/3 of your cals for the day. I fucking wanted some cereal (gluten free thank you very much) the other night and I ate like 3 bowls of rice/corn chex and milk, motherfuckers! I did measure the portions of cereal and milk. That plus something else (PB or a leftover piece of chicken or something) was like 1200 calories. BAM. That quick. Doing that EVERYNIGHT adds up to 1 or 2 extra DAYS of eating per week. Not recommended. Once in awhile? Hellz yeah. I smashed a leg PR that day and I was fucking hungry. Point is, I did measure it and it reminded me that it’s dangerous to CONSISTENTLY lose track of what you’re eating. Sometimes you can just eat and write it off (<-- dangerous thinking right there-- tread cautiously, Internet…)

Some guys need a list. Some don’t. Some guys need a program. Some don’t. Sometimes the ones that do, don’t. And sometimes the ones that don’t, do. This is only shit you learn by doing.

My first couple years lifting, I used published templates. I learned what works for me and what doesn’t. I’m still learning that. It’s the same with diet.

The real crux of the buscuit is you have to be honest with yourself. You know if you pussied out on that last rep. You know if you justified that donut. You know if you had another set. If you’re not happy seeing the abs smooth over or you really shouldn’t go down that path, because you will become miserable then start blaming your failure on other people (That fucking SteelyD said just fucking eat and I’d get HYOOGE but I just got fat. He ruined my life..). You know what? Fuck you, dumbass.

If you don’t mind it go as far as you can. Own it. Just have a plan and be honest. Weigh your options.

Goals:

• 405 bench by the end of the year and you’re at 365 BP? Then do what it takes.
• 405 bench at 220 by the end of the year and you’re at 365 BP and you’re at 220 BW? Well, that’s a MUCH different path, diet wise.

The goal sets the approach (IMO). Period. You can’t serve to masters. Well, you can, but none will be optimal. I’ve said before, my pure lifting numbers have suffered because I’m NOT willing to just pile food in my pie hole. My physique isn’t contest condition because I am, in fact, racing the clock and I mentally am not hindered by “looking like a powerlifter” (TN code for ‘fatass’).

TL;DR – Mmmm. Cheeseburger.

[SteelyD]

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:

You might think it’s an extra couple hundred calories and we are really talking 1,000+!!
[/quote]

HAAAAAA!!! Just saw this after my “Pt.2” post. Exactly.

I think the danger, besides not knowing how much is going in, is doing it consistently. That’s where I think people break down. The ‘habit’ of snacking versus ‘the exception’ of snacking.